69'2010South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congodirector: Dieudo Hamadicinematography: Divita wa Lusala, Deschamps Matala, Dieudo Hamadiediting: Divita wa Lusalaproduction: Suka! Production
A close-up of Congolese problems.
This film by three Congolese artists (in their cinematic debut) consists of four novellas. The first part, "Women Who Wait," is a tragicomedy on the functioning of the maternal ward in Kinshasa. The next novella, "Kinshasa Symphony," shows the entire range of dangers that await the residents of garbage-filled Kinshasa slums. "Zero Tolerance" takes on the systemic sexual violence against women. The final novella shows what is left of a mine that once gave the Congo its power: women and children lethargically crushing rocks among the lunar landscape filled with countless mounds. "Congo in Four Acts" is the best evidence that local problems are best seen up close.
