Competition screening - review - MACONDO by Sudabeh Mortezai
Macondo is the name of a refugee settlement in Vienna, which houses about 3,000 asylum seekers from 22 different countries. This socio-political potpourri is the setting of our story, as we follow an eleven-year-old kid from Chechenya names Ramasan, who is forced to grow up fast and take on some serious responsibility by looking after his mother and two younger daughters. He is the man of the house, as his father was killed in the Chechen conflict against the Russians. However, at the same time, he finds himself constantly troubled by bad influence and having to dodge himself out of trouble. In comes a kind hearted man who claims to have known his father and who bonds with the kid well. However, their bond will get tense as the two get closer and Ramasan fails to accept him as a father figure.
Migration is certainly the theme of modern art house and world cinema, and it’s easy to see why. Usually, this theme is also dealt with in similar ways to the point where it’s almost hard to distinguish and differentiate one work from the next. Macondo, however, shows great humanity and intensity with its many creative point and different ways of dealing with the heavy issue very naturally.
The story is character driven and the character’s internal struggles are made understandable without sugar-coating. Ramasan is clearly in constant risk of putting his family in great trouble by getting into trouble with the authorities as he is lured almost naturally and relentlessly into theft. The interesting contrast here is portrayed well by the internal conflict that the kid experiences, and that is exhibited to us. For instance, at one point, he ponders about whether or not to steal a battery for his father’s old watch. As he is about to walks out with the stolen battery in his pocket, he sees his sisters outside and changes his mind.
On the other hand, the socio-political situation in which he constantly finds himself constantly challenges him to join the dark side, which seems strangely appealing also to distract and voice the anger that awakens inside him as he comes of age and realises not only that his father is gone, but also that is mother never loved him. He overheard, in fact, that she was kidnapped into the wedding in accordance with an old absurd Chechen tradition. The cultural contrast is an underlying tone that adds a powerful constant depth about social awareness to the film.
Director Mortezai employs a realistic cinematography that takes nothing away from the authentic intensity that, hence, remains faithful to the environment without embellishment. There is also very little use of music, to underline the drag of everyday life in the refugee settlement. Nevertheless, there is an air of optimist that is portrayed by the preaching of a tight-knit community and bonding, which contrasts greatly with the carelessness and distance of Austrian authorities.
On top of that, Macondo has great respect for the seriousness of the themes it deals with, yet the presence of the kid is powerful to highlight the light moments as much as the heavy moments. This is, of course, down to the power of the afore mentioned inner conflicts that plague him but also due to the fact that Ramasan’s destiny is not something that will make or break his own family and be restricted to his own domestic situation. In Macondo, Ramasan also represents the future generation of immigrants and the way in which the world itself will make or break him, or the way in which he will help his people strive towards easier and a happier integration. This is a point that is never preached, but is nevertheless always present in the film.
