TEY (AUJOURD’HUI) World Cinema

Alain Gomis’ third film is a lyrical and poetic portrait of modern Senegal. Saül Williams is Satché, a healthy young man who is told by the community’s fortuneteller that he has only one day left to live. Satché accepts his fate and sets out to spend his final day with the people who will remember him when he is gone. He essentially conducts his own wake – stealing a few final moments with a lover, enacting a traditional funeral ceremony with an elder, leading a parade through the town. These moments are beautiful and rich with symbolism; Gomis gives us a rare glimpse of life in a contemporary African city. Despite its celebration of life, TEY is inherently sad; it feels like an allegory for the young men of Africa whose lives are cut short by violence. And yet, Satché finds peace before his soul takes flight. Gomis’ visual palate is lush and emotional and with this film he proves himself to be an emerging master filmmaker.