On a dusky road in Zambia's capital city of Lusaka, the main character, Shula (played by an eerily compelling Susan Chardy), in Rungano Nyoni's captivating second movie, "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl," stumbles upon an unexpected sight - a lifeless body in the middle of the road. The body belongs to her uncle, his unresponsive figure expressing the grim reality of his untimely demise.
"On Becoming a Guinea Fowl," which debuted at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section, is a testimony of Nyoni’s affection for exploring the unsettling realm of tragedy. The Zambian-Welsh director’s first work, "I Am Not a Witch," brought to life the stark hypocrisy of witch camps through a subtly defiant child character. With a similar blend of absurdity and sincerity, Nyoni presents a layered picture of adversities in her subsequent project.
Nyoni’s creative approach, a poignant mix of black humor and deep sorrow, makes her filmmaking unique. "The best approach to vent this frustration was a dark humor, a Zambian cliché," Nyoni claimed in a 2017 interview with The Independent. The director employs this approach in "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl," using humor to navigate through a scenery of tragic and comedic scenes, surrealistic elements, and pockets of seething anger.
Beneath the surface of "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl," anger simmers, concealed by its surreal beginning. The protagonist, Shula, is a strange figure dressed in a black inflatable suit (designed by Estelle Don Banda) and dark sunglasses adorned with silver stones. Upon finding her Uncle Fred's corpse (Roy Chisha), she gets out of her automobile to examine it, accompanied by a ghost-like figure of her younger self. They show no fear or worry.
Shula’s uncle's demise leads to a distressing upheaval and a profound internal reckoning within Shula’s family and his widowed wife, Chichi (Norah Mwansa). His death brings forth an opportunity for dialogue about past assault incidents involving Shula, Nsansa and their youngest cousin Bupe (Esther Singini), reopening old wounds. The question whether they can heal these wounds forms the central theme of Nyoni's film.
Shula forms the centerpiece in "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl," her interaction with the traditional funeral rites acts as a litmus test for the escalation of family tensions and potential revelations. Despite the claustrophobic horrid atmosphere, Nyoni incorporates a great deal of humor in the screenplay she penned. Particularly in the interactions between Shula and Nsansa, the humor morphs into a self-protective mechanism, akin to guinea fowls alerting each other about a predator.
The most commendable aspect of "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl" is Nyoni’s regard for subtext. The film refrains from being a healer or a celebration of forgiveness. Instead, Nyoni opts for candidness, unveiling a deeply unsettling yet profound narrative.
