On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family.
Driving home from a party late one night, Shula (Susan Chardy) comes across the body of her Uncle Fred on an isolated road. The body casually lays there, no apparent signs of trauma or cause of death, presenting the theme of Rungano Nyoni’s “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — hidden trauma. As the family gathers for Uncle Fred’s funeral, some unpleasant information (to put it mildly) comes to light.
While the storyline for Nyoni’s film (which she wrote and directed) is straightforward on the surface, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” frequently delves into more opaque material. For example, from the beginning of the film, seemingly random sequences of an old TV show are inserted throughout, their presence/connection not explained until much later. Several odd, dreamlike moments are scattered throughout the film, more than a couple involving Shula’s cousin Bupe (Ester Singini). A water motif is present in a few sequences. Possibly a metaphor that’s going over my head? Whatever the reasoning, it’s lost on my literal-minded brain that takes everything at face value. For me, they only served as a distraction, causing my thoughts to wander and overshadowing the main storyline’s impact.
As the film progresses, we learn more about Fred, which leads to questions about the funeral proceedings. Apparently, only the women are aware of Fred’s behavior, and they’ve all been actively working to keep these secrets buried. Unsurprisingly, things continually get heated as the family gathers to mourn.
I found the technical aspects and performances in this film to be excellent. The lead performance from Chardy was strong and the film was finely photographed. Unfortunately, the more surreal elements kept me at an arm’s length from the material which ultimately tackled some heavy subjects. Altogether, this movie left me indifferent, leaning more towards a dislike than a like.
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