A kinetic action horror film with a distinctly uniquely African flavour, Shudder’s Saloum is a brisk, top-notch entry from Senegal, laced with folklore that does not stint on character or political commentary. The excellent Yann Gael is Chaka, leader of the Bangui Hyenas, a legendary trio of mercenaries; along with the machete-wielding Rafa (Roger Salah) and shaman Minuit (Mentor Ba), they have committed various acts of derring-do across Africa.
Saloum opens with them extracting a drug lord during a coup d’etat, along with bags full of gold and drugs. Their escape plane seems to have been sabotaged, and they are forced to land in a bizarre river delta, the Sine-Saloum. There, they hole up in a hotel, attempting to get fuel and repair their plane before heading on to Dakar. Their host Omar (Bruno Henry) seems genial enough, though there are other guests escaping society and a policeman who may or may not know something about them. Also present is deaf-mute Awa (Evelyne Ily Juhen) who does know who they are and threatens to expose them. Nothing is quite as it seems, however, and there is a supernatural force rippling under the surface, which is let loose following a violent act.
A fantastically original film, Saloum linguistically blends French, English, Spanish and Wolof together with sign language, and is extremely cool. Gael is a brilliant lead, oozing charisma, and all the other characters are well drawn, writer/director Jean Luc Herbulot allowing us to spend time with them all before some witchcraft rooted in bloody history is set loose. Refreshingly different, told at an adrenaline-fuelled pace with the use of titles and flashbacks, Herbelot’s second film has plenty of swagger and confidence and a singular identity. There is no over-explaining of the Afro-Caribbean folklore, the geography and warfare of the landscape is dealt with briefly and pertinently and it’s a real rollercoaster. Catch it if you can.
Dir: Jean Luc Herbelot (15, 84 mins)
Salum is streaming on Shudder now
words KEIRON SELF
