Omen trailer reveals the African witchcraft of the acclaimed Cannes film
Summary
- Utopia has released the North American trailer for the supernatural drama film. omenabout a Congolese man who returns to his birthplace to deal with family problems.
- The trailer shows tense moments intertwined with a narrative of fractured family dynamics, creating an atmosphere of fear and terror in the Cannes award-winning film.
- Baloji, the director of omen, draws inspiration from his life experiences and the Swahili meaning of his name, reflecting the film’s exploration of identity and culture. The film received positive reviews and was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards.
Utopia has unveiled the North American trailer for its supernatural drama. omen. The film, which marks the directorial debut of hip-hop artist and filmmaker Baloji, follows Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man who – after living in Belgium for years – returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa with his pregnant fiancée (Lucie). Debay returns) to deal with ongoing problems with his family. Koffi’s family conflicts date back to his childhood: after his mother decided that a birthmark was a sign that he was a sorcerer, he was exiled to Belgium. The trailer, which you can watch below, tells an exciting story that combines cultural beliefs with broken family dynamics.
The short trailer is full of atmospheric moments: in the scene where he introduces his fiancé to his family (which is a bit reminiscent of Jordan Peele’s horror masterpiece from the 2010s). Exit), a sense of fear can be felt through the screen. After Koffi suffers a nosebleed and spills blood on a child, the family’s heightened fear suggests a much deeper conflict. And things only escalate from there.
Baloji’s own life experiences inspired him omen, and even his name is a strong driving force in the making of the film. In Swahili, Baloji initially meant “man of science,” but in colonial times it was reinterpreted to mean “man of occult sciences,” or essentially “sorcerer.” In an interview with diversityWhile promoting Omen ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, Baloji shared:
“Some religious people do not dare to speak my name in public for fear of summoning evil spirits and the suspicion that comes with it,” he said. “In such an animistic culture, being called a devil or a demon in the West is equivalent.”
Praise for Baloji’s omen
omen serves as an exploration of identity and culture and has garnered positive reviews, with critics describing the film as “exhilarating” and “exhilarating.”artistic and fascinating,” and often praised his powerful imagery.
Belgium has chosen the film as its entry for the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category, following its last choice: Lukas Dhont’s Cannes winner Close. omen announces a Cannes honor Close; omen debuted at Cannes in 2023 in the sidebar “Un Certain Regard” and received the New Vision Award. For his work on the film, Baloji also received the Best Director Award at the Sitges International Film Festival 2023.
Checkout omenThe official summary below:
“After spending years in Belgium, Koffi, a young Congolese man, returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa to confront his family and the culture of his homeland. Secrecy and sorcery erupt when a nosebleed is mistaken for a curse and Koffi is shunned by his family. With its magical realism, Omen paints a portrait of “undesirables” and “wizards,” exploring the intricacies of identity, culture and belief systems through a deeply rich and visually arresting lens.”
The film is a Belgian-Dutch-Congolese-French-South African co-production starring Zinga, Debay, Eliane Umuhire, Yves-Marina Gnahoua and Marcel Otete Kabeya. It was co-written by Baloji and Thomas van Zuylen and produced by Benoit Roiland, Sander Verdonck and Emmanuel Lupia. Utopia is published omen will be released in cinemas in early 2024. More information can be found here.
omen The North American release is scheduled for 2024.
