Hypnagogic Congolese melodrama Omen is a film of many contradictions, not least of which is its status as Belgium’s 2024 Oscar submission. The story of a Congolese-Belgian national, Koffi (Marc Zinga), who returns to his native land only to find everyone he meets filled with contempt for his European ways, the film is a strong statement on post-colonial tensions. Directed by first time filmmaker Baloji who has already made a strong reputation for himself as a musician and music video director, Omen is also notable for its colorfully allegorical visuals reminiscent of Alejandro Jodorowsky or Matthew Blarney. I sat down with Baloji at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah to talk about the film.
Joshua Bogatin, UniversalCinema Magazine (UM): How did the project originate? Where did it come from and how did you start working on it?
Baloji (B): It came from the passing of my dad in 2019 which led to an experience where my imagination took over my emotions and I saw all of these people weeping around a fountain of tears. I then felt guilty that I was seeing movie scenery at that moment instead of grieving so I decided to write a script about it. I worked for 8 weeks, I stayed at home and made the first draft.
(UM): The film has very intense visuals and you do a lot of the design yourself…
(B): You mean the costumes and the set? I do it because I come from a very do-it-yourself culture. I learned filmmaking by doing make-up, costumes, set-design, acting, etc, just because that’s the only way to make it happen. Otherwise the film usually won’t exist.
(UM): What is your process for creating the visuals?
(B): Just writing. It was one of the elements that was difficult for people when they read my script which is why most of the funds we asked turned us down – it was too detailed. For me everything means something; every set, every location, every costume is part of the narrative. From the start we knew we wanted to have some New Orleans Big Chief costumes in the narrative, we knew we wanted to have some pink dresses, some Mobutu hats which evoke the dictatorship of 25 years in the congo. Everything was already there in the script.
(UM): Can we also talk about the tension in the film between European and Congolese perspectives. Was the sense of alienation or estrangement felt by the main character rooted in autobiography?
(B): No, Koffi is not my narrative double. I wanted to laugh at institutions that tell me that if I want to make a film it has to be autobiographical. That’s just a trap. So I pretend that I’m about to do that and then it becomes something else. After 15 minutes Koffi knows that nobody expects anything from his return. It’s also very interesting because Koffi is on the side of the privileged because he has a passport, unlike his mom who can’t leave. So you have to keep his privilege in mind because it prevents him from becoming the hero of this narrative.
(UM): What do you think of the film being Belgium’s submission to the Oscars, do you see the film as a Belgian film?
(B): It’s Belgian because I’m a Belgian citizen, but I’m first and foremost a black person and Congolese. I was illegal for three years in Belgium so I really fought to stay in Belgium, so after receiving an order to leave it became very important for me to talk about this. When I was in front of the funding commission I mentioned my whole history with Belgium as a refugee, as an immigrant, and a reject. I was able to finally stay at the very last minute. I think it means something to present somebody like me for the Congo, for Belgium, for the historical colonial past.
(UM): I think there’s also something a little funny about it since it’s a movie that feels so strongly rooted in Congolese culture…
(B): But it’s talking a lot about Belgium and Europe as well. What I don’t want is to have the film look like “woah, this is the land of the savage.” As you can see the whole movie is based on European religions, catholicism, because it’s the liturgical calendar that provides the rhythm for the story, marking the whole film around Easter weekend. Also Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, are European. Paco is living with the Peter Pan mentality that there are no grown-ups around him. This is also extremely European. I thought it was interesting to play with all this cultural correspondence.
(UM): Where did Paco’s storyline come from? Most of the melodrama feels very centered around Koffi’s family and he’s one of the few outsider characters.
(B): No, not really. We start with Koffi, but we mirror it with Paco. Koffi is full of judeo-christian guilt and Paco is just like, “ok, if you think I’m a sorcerer I’m going to behave like a sorcerer. If you treat me like a dog, I’ll bite you like a dog.” It creates this environment where he’s mourning and grieving his sister. That’s why he’s wearing a dress. There’s a sexual connotation to it, but his sister is the real reason. Some people want to see the film as a family drama, but it’s more than a family drama. It’s two male characters that respond to each other; two female characters that respond to each other; and the two main protagonists.
(UM): Can you also talk about what it was like to direct your first feature and what the transition from music videos to narrative was like? How do you balance the sharp attention to images with the strong narrative?
(B): It’s all about narrative, whatever it is. We just have to respect that. David Fincher and Spike Jonze come from music videos. At the end of the day the only question is whether you have something to tell. All the rest is bullshit and I disagree with people who think that cinema is a bigger art than any other visual art form.
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