Dahomey main backdrop
Dahomey main poster

6.5/10 • 20

2024-09-111h 8m

Documentary

Thousands of royal artifacts of Dahomey, a West African kingdom, were taken by French colonists in the 19th century for collection and display in Paris. Centuries later, a fraction returned to their home in modern-day Benin. This dramatized documentary follows the journey of 26 of the treasures as told by cultural art historians, embattled university students, and one of the repatriated statues himself.

Directors
Mati Diop
Writters
Mati Diop
Editors
Gabriel Gonzalez

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Gildas Adannou

    Gildas Adannou

    Self

  2. Habib Ahandessi

    Habib Ahandessi

    Self

  3. Joséa Guedje

    Joséa Guedje

    Self

  4. Imelda Batamoussi

    Imelda Batamoussi

    Self

Reviews1

View Reviews
CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Oct 31, 2024

6/10

With over 7,000 pieces taken by the colonising French from their homes in the ancient African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin), there is much celebration amongst the population at the return of 26 artefacts. These range from statues of their legendary Kings Ghezo and Béhanzin to objects of religious significance and items of such an intricate design that their condition will require perpetual care in a new, purpose-built, home near the Presidential Palace. Sadly, we just don't spend enough time with these beautifully crafted sculptures, nor do we really learn very much about the history of them, their historical provenance nor really anything much about the colonial "treaties" that facilitated their move in the first place. It lacks a narration. Not often that bothers me, but at times this whole thing reminded me of one of those films you'd watch for ten minutes if you were visiting a museum before you moved on. It's presented as if it were the introductory edition of a multi-part documentary that was going to explore more and fill in many of the gaps left unexplained in this hour long preview. Too much of it is spent following a group of young people in a forum arguing about the relative merits (or demerits) of this gesture from the French, and though it can be interesting at times to listen to the differing views in this "what's past is prologue" type debate, it wasn't what I wanted to see. I wanted much more about the fascinating mythology that attributed animal features to human beings in the way the Egyptians did two thousand years earlier. What was their significance? How were they to be conserved, preserved, exhibited - and, quite importantly, to whom. None of that was really gone into and I found that all a little disappointing. It may stimulate further reading but as it stands, it's not great.

Media

  • Dahomey backdrop
  • Dahomey backdrop
  • Dahomey backdrop
  • Dahomey backdrop
  • Dahomey backdrop

Recommendations

  • Read My Lips main backdrop

    Read My Lips

    7.1

  • Foreign Language main backdrop

    Foreign Language

    7.1

  • Dog on Trial main backdrop

    Dog on Trial

    6.2

  • Việt and Nam main backdrop

    Việt and Nam

    6.9

  • The Knife main backdrop

    The Knife

    8.0

  • Birth main backdrop

    Birth

    6.3

  • The Fearless Vampire Killers main backdrop

    The Fearless Vampire Killers

    7.0

  • The Apprentice main backdrop

    The Apprentice

    7.0

  • Mars Express main backdrop

    Mars Express

    7.6

  • Piranha 3D main backdrop

    Piranha 3D

    5.4

  • A Little Something Extra main backdrop

    A Little Something Extra

    7.2

  • Wolfs main backdrop

    Wolfs

    6.6

  • Venom: The Last Dance main backdrop

    Venom: The Last Dance

    6.5

  • Oppenheimer main backdrop

    Oppenheimer

    8.1

  • Fight Club main backdrop

    Fight Club

    8.4

  • Napoleon main backdrop

    Napoleon

    6.4

  • Deadpool & Wolverine main backdrop

    Deadpool & Wolverine

    7.7

  • Avatar: The Way of Water main backdrop

    Avatar: The Way of Water

    7.6

  • Perfect Days main backdrop

    Perfect Days

    7.8

  • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga main backdrop

    Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

    7.5

Status
Released
Original Language
French
Budget
--
Revenue
$506,090.00
Keywords
No keywords have been added.