"The Village Next to Paradise" is the striking debut feature from Somali filmmaker Mo Harawe, which had its first appearance at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section. The film, the first of Somali origin to screen at the Croisette, unfolds the tale of a family striving to thrive in a tranquil Somali town amid the chilling backdrop of drone-driven warfare, a memory that remains far beyond the film's end.
Harawe's film starts with actual footage of a US drone attack in Somalia, setting the tone for the constant drone backdrop that permeates the movie. Since the US initiated drone activity in the East African nation in the early 2000s, the country's residents have experienced immense suffering due to an overwhelming counterterrorism operation. The New America foundation data indicates over 300 instances of documented drone use, resulting in hundreds of known civilian casualties.
The film centralizes on the day-to-day life in Paradise village, impacted heavily by modern warfare. Protagonist Marmargade, portrayed by Ahmed Ali Farah, earns his living through various jobs, one of the most profitable being burying the dead, many of whom are victims of foreign incursions. In the absence of this work, he hesitantly resorts to smuggling goods to a nearby city.
Despite understanding the bleak reality of his homeland, Marmargade wishes for a better, safer future for his son, Cigaal. However, navigating these treacherous circumstances only gets more complex when a confrontation arises with his sister Araweelo over the future of Cigaal and the path that Marmargade is taking.
Compelling for its deliberate pacing and intimate focus on a single family, Harawe's debut resonates like Gabriel Martins' 2022 film "Mars One" and equally highlights the broader geopolitical conflict akin to how the Chadian civil war was sketched in Mahamet Saleh Haroun’s 2010 film "A Screaming Man".
However, at times, the film is hampered by its wandering storyline and rigid acting from Harawe's cast of non-professional, local actors. The clarity of Harawe's vision is compromised by numerous unnecessary digressions which detract from the central narrative.
Despite these issues, "The Village Next to Paradise" proves itself memorable for its unassuming optimism and unexpected humor that reflect true existence. It underlines that even in places where death seems perpetually immanent, hope for a better tomorrow remains alive.
