WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
How far would you go to search for your true roots? As human beings, we all carry at least SOME sense of wanting to establish our heritage. Even in the midst of our busy existence, the pull soon becomes inexorable, an actual NEED to find answers. Might this be stronger when we are already privy the fact that our beginnings were formed from an unsettled circumstance? And, if it prompts us to question why someone supposed to be there for us, wasn’t?
Living in Berlin, painter Eny (Staniel Ferreira) has these queries running through his head. Even as content with his life as he is, along with girlfriend Juliette (Marla Stock), the restlessness of his past builds and builds. Soon, along with his sister Titina (Stephanie Ferreira), Eny embarks on a journey back to Guinea-Bissau, Africa, to seek out family and ascertain who he is. The endgame will also see a return to the farthest back origin point for his ancestors, the island of Orango.
Next, my Mind:
The quest for meaning, resolving who we are and where we come from, trying to absolve the past in order to embrace what the present and future might hold for us, and the simple beauty of reconnecting with what is most innately significant to us all gets explored through this 94-minute indie feature film from writer/director/producer/cinematographer Samuel Kay Forrest, writer/producer Staniel Ferreira, producer Arthur Grec, co-producers Johanna Guenoun, Stephanie Ferreira, and Alexander Forrest plus executive producers Lisa Andoh and Evelijn van Brandenberg. Based on true events and delivered through a part dramatic fiction/part auto-biographical documentary execution, it’s an adeptly written and wholly affecting portrayal of one young man’s search for identity through the most logical means–returning home.
Having been removed from his original homeland as a child during the chaos of the Guinea-Bissau War, the narrative following a now adult man looking to discover answers to long overdue questions while also desiring to just find peace within through the history of his family after 17 years away comes across so beautifully authentic, filled with a sense of heartbreaking loss, the internal disarray of a troubled childhood, the necessity for both closure and refreshed beginnings, along with the equally requisite healing from buried but now revived, simmering trauma. It paints the tapestry of having found a good life yet knowing there’s that part of you that isn’t truly settled, and that sincere fulfillment moving forward won’t be accomplished until the actions are taken to rectify all that is burning inside.
What additionally gives the film its relatability and depth of humanness is the fact that Eny’s sister joins him on this journey, and to have that support system in place only serves to strengthen the resolve to keep pushing ahead with all he is attempting to seek, knowing he isn’t alone, while also getting to reintegrate her into his circle again during such an imperative and emotionally volatile time being fully immersed in the place of their ancestors. How this all resonates within him as he finds out more and more about his parents (one passed on, the other very much alive), the reasons for a cycle of brokenness that he now wishes to end, and the encompassing sense of purpose and validity of self Eny encounters is so tangibly evident and palpably stirring for us as the viewer. What is also very conspicuous is the fact that NONE of this is actually EASY, yet worth the struggles in order to ultimately experience the redemptive reconciliation most of Eny’s odyssey elicits and/or comes about.
Feeling familiarity and estrangement, recognizing the places we go to escape, the bonds and trials we have with parents, comprehending the changes we see, the doubts we face even when intent is legitimate, holding a family together instead of letting it get further torn apart, chancing upon the ghosts of a culture’s harried and horrifying past ancestors had to endure, how we embody the traits of those who raised us, and breathing in the spirit of all around us that consummates a rejuvenated attachment and inward reunification of who we are all become thematic tangents given due attention throughout the film, and many others as well, which again form catalysts for us to so easily be consumed in our own minds and souls by the magnitude of accessibility Eny’s story creates, perhaps even to the extent of prompting our own look into the fascinating and often revealing venture into our origins and associated history.
Given that this film is not just based on real events, but on the actual familial history of Ferreira himself, it’s no wonder the actor brings such a dedicated degree of passion, validity, and totally grounded, impactful plausibility to his role here as Eny, a artist living in Berlin whose life seems well enough, yet unsettled as he begins to feel the weight of a past he desires answers about. Haunted by this need to know who he truly is, where he comes from, and the fate of the family he was forced to leave behind thanks to the harshness of war, Eny travels back to his home after 17 years away to ascertain all his mind and heart wants to learn while drinking in the beauty of a country that has both changed yet remains the same in all its draw and entrancing influence on him as he goes. Again, the sheer fidelity and quiet yet somehow resounding presence Ferreira brings to this role solidifies the relevancy of the narrative and pulls you along with persuasive ease.
The primary supporting roles arrive here first through Stephanie Ferreira who plays Eny’s sister Titina, arriving herself back in Africa to join and document her brother’s pilgrimage and likewise drink in the wonder of her shared roots. Stock is Eny’s girlfriend in Berlin, Juliette, who is more than committed to their growing relationship and desires for him to be settled, but whether she is really enough for him at this juncture in time circles his mind. Zhenka Brezavscek plays Eny’s step-mother who likewise shows such a heartfelt thankfulness for his coming home and is also a source of some of the answers he’s searching for. Obino Ferreira is Eny’s father, the man whom left his children even possibly during the war and whom had caused an abusive home life for Eny, hence being confronted by his now adult son is paramount.
Additional supporting turns come about from Nathaniel Ferreira, Andrelino Lopes Correia, Tozé Lacatos, Thompson Sawer Matche, Yolanda Funi, Luiza Funi, Yara Funi, Barfula Funi, and Mario Funi among others. So, in total, “Orango” boils down to a picture of the fervency of the human spirit, the willingness to muster the courage to face the past, make peace with it, find new truths to cling to, and march forward in fresh confidence of who and what we are, what we strive for, and the family that we need to cherish, all of it thanks to the heritage that uniquely defines us.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
