Review: The Burial of Kojo (2018)

“My father told me so many interesting stories. The Beginnings only made sense if you knew the ending, and the endings were never quite what you expected.”

The beginning of the movie, too, only makes sense when you reach the end. And not just the end or the beginning, but the entire film gives you vibes of ‘unexpected.’ Superlative cinematography and marvelous music will take you where cinema rules the realm between imagination and reality. In my recent watches, after ‘Tigers are not afraid’ and ‘The Lighthouse,’ this fantastic fable has taken the concept of supernaturalism, fairy-tales, fantasy, myths to the next level giving them a realistic touch. 

Why is this film so impressive? The movie, full of excellent aerial shots, vibrant colors, unique style of telling a simple story weaving fantasy, is a startling directorial debut feature of Ghanaian hip-hop artist Blitz Bazawule (Blitz the Ambassador). He also has written and composed it. And no wonder when an endowed music artist set to make a feature, his movie would certainly have some exceptional music. Besides, its captivating camerawork, which is praised by almost every spectator as ‘Magical, elegant, stylish, spectacular, gorgeous,’ is also a debut work by Michael Fernandez. Even most of the cast and crew are very new in the field, yet you can feel they have poured themselves in it. This is how a dedicated art emerges.

Movie Review: Invisible Life

 This fable, narrated by a young woman about her memory of her father when she was a child, begins with a guilt-driven man with a secret, who comes to live in a village that floats over water because he believed that “only the water could cleanse the past.” He meets a woman who gives birth to their daughter Esi (Cynthia Dankwa, who also did debut with the movie) whose birth ‘was supposed to bring prosperity in her family.’ Esi had destined to save a white bird from a crow who rules a realm between reality and dream. Her surreal dreams are beautifully colored by cinematography and harmonized by distinctive music. The folk tale also tells the Ghanaian folk’s deals with poverty, corruption in various institutions, the rivalry between locals and Chinese laborers.

It has its flaws too. This is technically seamless but has missed touching emotion, almost until the end. This is what I find from my side. If any other deficiencies anybody could find, it is because it is a micro-micro budget movie, so if any artistic touch has remained here, it is just because the director doesn’t have many sources. Even, after finding any blemishes, or giving less stars of ranking, any viewer would defiantly recommend it to others. If this is the beginning, I believe, in the future, with good sources and little more polishing to his work, Blitz can create astonishing art.

The patterns in colors in 'The Burial of Kojo'

By the way, where are those who love to watch some exotic, non-popular, poetic art, and all? Also, ‘Netflix and chill’ people seem so chilled that movie is available on the platform, and yet I do not hear about it from anywhere. So, whatever platforms you use, just dig deeper into them, you may find a gem. Meanwhile, I will keep digging about the future works of Michael and Blitz.