Oka!

Synopsis: The story of Louis Sarno, an American ethno-musicologist who lived among the Bayaka Pygmies in Central Africa for 25 years.
Genre: Drama
Director(s): Lavinia Currier
Production: Dada Films
 
IMDB:
5.5
Metacritic:
61
Rotten Tomatoes:
71%
Year:
2011
105 min
$10,030
Website
84 Views


[Child shouting

in native language]

[people chattering

in native language]

[speaking in

native language]

[native musical instruments]

[chattering continues]

[Man narrating

in foreign language]

[native musical instruments,

polyphonic vocalizing]

[Man continues]

[continues]

[Woman]

Larry, if I can hear it,

it's too loud.

[Man resumes]

This music is Beethoven

to me, Ma.

[continues]

[continues]

[chattering]

[speaks in native language]

[people respond together]

[speaks in native language]

[people respond together]

[chattering]

[continues]

[loud, harsh sound]

Ow!

[groaning]

[sustained ringing in ear]

[clicks]

[Man grunts]

[laughing]

[Man]

Chainsaws?

A ringing sound?

It's more like a whine.

That frying?

Frying and then a chopping sound

like an ax on a tree.

Ka, ka.

Tinnitus indeed.

Get dressed.

[mutters]

Doc says my liver's shot.

If I don't get a new one,

I'll die.

...for a replacement.

With luck, we'll--

we'll have one in--

in a month.

You'll have good days

and bad days.

I never have good luck

in New York.

Get undressed

from the waist down, please.

Leprosy is entirely curable.

Don't worry about the ear.

Nothing for it anyway.

It's my instrument.

They used to call me

Big Ear in Africa.

They won't be calling you

anything anymore, Larry.

Your Africa days are over.

For how long?

Forever.

Uh...

[frogs croaking]

[croaks]

[croaks]

But if I stay in America,

I'll never complete my catalog.

Only one instrument

left to get--

molimo, the holy grail

of Pygmy music.

I gotta see Lydia.

[horns honking]

[imitates horn blowing]

That's how the Bayaka

describe the sound.

Like a horn.

Like a-- a bull roar.

[chuckles]

So interesting.

Lydia, my liver is shot.

I've got one more trip

left in me.

I need the molimo.

[scoffs]

And it's not expensive.

Ughh!

Africa, Africa.

You don't have cash?

[ringing]

[Lydia shouts]

Ow!

Thank you.

Sataka.

[Man]

A-ha!

[laughing]

[African]

[Man singing

in foreign language]

[continues]

Well, you have to include

the Dogon.

The Dogon?

Yes.

You really want

to include them?

They're not

endangered peoples.

The Dogon?

Not endangered?

No.

How many of them

can there possibly be?

At least 500,000.

[speaks in native language]

[speaks French]

[speaks in native language]

[speaks French]

[thunder rumbling]

You guys tourists?

[both laugh]

Certainly not.

We despise tourists.

We are travelers.

Here. Have some tea.

Yes. Our goal is to visit

all the endangered peoples

of the world

before they disappear.

We just came

from Papua New Guinea.

Bloody amazing.

The Kirala tribe--

they use the skulls

of their ancestors

as pillows.

Where are you from?

Yamondo, Central Africa.

Yamondo. Yeah.

Yamondo...

"Formerly a small

trading village

"of forest Pygmies.

To date,

considerably compromised."

[mutters]

Are you Peace Corps?

[no audible dialogue]

What?

He's not Peace Corps.

What?

It's a perfectly

reasonable que--

[muttering]

Leave me alone.

He's really pissed off now.

Shut up.

[speaking in French]

[speaks in French]

[mutters]

[Larry]

I don't mean to contradict

your guidebook,

but if there's

one place on Earth

that will never, ever change,

it's Yamondo.

I'm sorry?

You see,

the Bayaka are different.

They spend most of their time

living in the forest,

and in the forest,

people leave them alone.

And if they

have been compromised,

it's because

of their Bantu neighbors

who treat them like slaves.

[lowing]

[shouting in native language]

Larry!

[passengers speaking

in native language]

Larry!

[shouting in native language]

Chief!

[speaking in foreign language]

[patting]

They know his name.

They know him.

[shouting]

[laughing]

[shouts]

[group responds]

[singing]

What are you all

doing here?

[speaking in foreign language]

[speaking in native language]

Yes, Sataka called me.

They've got cell phones?

Total non-starter.

[chattering]

[native drums]

[people singing

in foreign language]

[continues]

[shouting]

[shouting]

Kirikiri...

[speaks in French]

[mutters]

[speaking in

native language]

[speaks in foreign language]

[native drums]

[people singing

in foreign language]

Oh, my God.

[speaking in

native language]

It's huge.

It looks like it could swallow

the whole forest.

[speaks in

foreign language]

[Men respond in native language]

[Woman vocalizing]

[native drums]

[continues]

[exclaiming]

[chattering]

Simboki. Bobanjo.

[speaks in

foreign language]

[speaks in French]

[vehicle approaching]

[Man]

Ah, Monsieur Larry.

The white

with the earphones.

I thought it was you.

Its me, Bassoun.

The mayor.

How fortunate you are back.

Mr. Yi, meet Mr. Larry,

an expert on our country.

I told Mr. Yi you are

a very, very good friend

of our little brothers

of the great equatorial forest.

Almost a Pygmy yourself.

[chuckles]

Are you Peace Corps?

Well--

He's looking for a kind of,

uh, Pygmy horn

called the molimo,

made of ivory

and, uh, yanis.

Most people say

it doesn't even exist.

It exists.

A myth.

I hope

you haven't forgotten

a little souvenir for me

from America.

[laughs]

[speaks in French]

[Kirikiri speaks in French]

Bobanjo?

[speaks in foreign language]

[speaks in

foreign language]

[engine starts]

[brakes squeak]

[door opens]

[Mr. Yi]

What was that about?

Oh, I asked them

to put on a Pygmy dance

to welcome you to Africa.

[quietly]

Larry. Larry. Larry.

[whistles softly]

Larry.

Yeah?

[speaking in foreign language]

[native flute]

[continues]

[rooster crowing]

[clucking]

[speaking in native language]

[clucking]

[shouts]

[shouts]

Hey, what's for breakfast?

[together]

[laughter]

So, uh, when do we leave

for the forest?

[repeats in foreign language]

The mayor?

[making indistinct sound

from nose]

Huh?

Oh, no.

[Men laughing]

Okay.

[chattering]

[chattering]

[chanting]

[overlapping chatter]

I don't have any cloth.

[speaking in foreign language]

[overlapping chatter continues]

Okay.

[Larry]

Wow. She's grown up.

[grunts]

[speaks in foreign language]

OD.

Sony. Begin.

[imitating birdcall]

[bird singing]

[imitates birdcall]

[chirping]

[whistling]

[birds chirping]

[chattering]

[weapon clicks]

[chattering continues]

[laughing]

[horn blares]

[faint chatter]

Bad news.

Your request

has been denied.

I am truly sorry.

It's a long way to come

for such news.

But there are many

other areas to cut

that do not involve

the hunting grounds

of our little brothers.

I don't want the other areas.

I want here.

I would be glad to assist you

with an appeal, Mr. Yi.

How long will that take?

The problem

is the wildlife club.

They've been protecting

elephant there for 30 years.

We are poor country,

and we depend

on their resources.

Recently, they've even

given the Pygmies

their own traditional

hunting areas.

There is hope,

I think, Mr. Yi.

The Pygmy love elephant meat

as much as I do,

and if I can prove

to the wildlife club

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Lavinia Currier

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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