Otar Iosseliani: And Then There Was Light [Et la lumière fut] [OmeU] FR, IT, BRD, 1989, R: Otar Iosseliani mit Saly Badji, Sigalon Sagna, Abdou Sane, 103 Min
Otar Iosseliani stages his ideal pre-civilization community In a village in southern Senegal: People are not alienated from themselves and others, there is real equality between the sexes, traditions are fostered and polyphonic song is mastered by everyone. But when woodcutters arrive from Europe it is the beginning of the end of this paradise. Villagers start arguing over car tires and mail-order catalogues appear. A new era dawns. Even more than in his other films, Iosseliani tells his fictional story almost entirely with images. The dialogues (in Diola) are left largely untranslated. Some textboxes are used to explain the plot as if it were a silent movie.
Trailer: