This one's a little firecracker. An astute and observant young Malian man gets tired of life working as a porter on a minibus after he is leapfrogged in the hierarchy due to nepotism. There is no reward for his loyalty on square street so he tries a more crooked path. His talent is quickly recognised by local narcotics traffickers and he handles a number of increasingly taxing operations whilst affording a life he could only have dreamed of previously including sampling the luxuries of Bamako's flesh pots. He stays alive by his sharp wits and nerves of steel through some perilous situations, including tangling with Al Qaeda. Ladji is naturally an upright person and an impressive man and so the moral hazards he exposes himself to inevitably takes a toll, as does the realisation that he can never be accepted into posh society. The director though has a feel for and education in the crime genre such that you never feel, "I've seen it all before".
I felt watching the film that I got an interesting insight into some of the cultural complexities and vibrancy of Mali. Wùlu means dog and is a dual reference to the fact the Ladji becomes a dog in order to try and achieve the lifestyle he's looking for, and also to the stage of learning in Bambaran culture when one is taught how to fit into the world.
Hollywood should be scared, because Africa is coming, this movie had an incredible vibe, and the continent is starting to produce movies that make many Hollywood ones look average. Wùlu is Daouda Coulibaly giving Michael Mann a run for his money, with his debut feature film!
I felt watching the film that I got an interesting insight into some of the cultural complexities and vibrancy of Mali. Wùlu means dog and is a dual reference to the fact the Ladji becomes a dog in order to try and achieve the lifestyle he's looking for, and also to the stage of learning in Bambaran culture when one is taught how to fit into the world.
Hollywood should be scared, because Africa is coming, this movie had an incredible vibe, and the continent is starting to produce movies that make many Hollywood ones look average. Wùlu is Daouda Coulibaly giving Michael Mann a run for his money, with his debut feature film!