Makala

Makala is a French docudrama about the struggles of a young man in the Congo who decides to improve the life of his family by making his own coal and braving dangers to deliver it to a village where he'll sell it. While this indie film is not my style (rural overtones and a lack of action), I must admit I was enthralled by the images. Realising I was watching 'reality'...that this was not a Hollywood back lot, these were the real dirt roads of Africa. These weren't extras who would eat a free meal at the buffet after the shoot, but humans whose lives were the same before the camera caught them and would continue unchanged once it left. The scene in the makeshift church towards the end of the film especially moved me and made me feel like I was in the presence of more reality than you'll ever see in a lifetime of reality TV.