Samba Traore

On the face of it, Samba is a village boy who struck it rich in the city. He comes home, marries the single mother Saratou and opens a bar with his friend Salif. But then awkward questions start to arise about the source of his wealth. The hint of ethnography which hovered just off screen in Ouedraogo's Yaaba and Tilai is missing here. This tale of a criminal trying to go straight is almost generic, and could be set almost anywhere. Maybe this points the way out of African cinema's impasse? As usual the director picks a fine cast and directs them with great empathy.