I tend to see the true story and plot, and very well, because you see, it is many people's story. Hey! it is, to a large extent, my story in parts.
Ben is like many of us - a washed-out entertainer who has developed a cynical view or life, and a jaded point of view with many issues. The fact that he loses his job, loses communication with his only daughter, is forced to deliver pizza, does not help the man's character, but embitters it. I can relate to that. Like Ben, I am a thinker, who does not believe in taking things lying down. I would have gone all the way like he did when the city tow truck towed his car just when his dear Senegalese friend Ibou relapsed into diabetic shock and needed to get to a hospital.
But then, when Ibou's sister Khadi came from Senegal to help take care of him, changes sparked in Ben, slowly at first, almost imperceptible, then more and more pronounced. How could you not fall in love with the curvy Khadi, with her beautiful raw African features, her womanly confidence and her vision of "magic"? No pretentiousness here, no overbearing or meddling - quite the contrary. You tend to admire the inner strength of such women, so akin to their culture and ways of life. I once met a woman like that from Nigeria, whose brother worked as an Engineer in the local Shell corp. The way she moved, her similar dress and grooming, made me look twice and say: "Now THAT is a woman!" Sadly, as in Ben's case, yes, such a relationship is fraught with difficulties, chiefly because of the distance between 2 Worlds. She was uncomfortable in our 'civilized' World, and Ben would not be able to adapt well in hers. Besides, he wanted to resurrect his singing career, and Senegal would not have been the right place, maybe. That too was my case with the girl in question.. However, by then Ben understood 2 things - one of them being that he was a good man, a man without racial prejudice, open, simple and unpretentious. Such men are hard to come by these days. The second thing he realized I will not say. I will leave you to view the movie, and come to your own conclusions.
So it's not the stomping, heart-throbbing drama like you see in other movies, but it will keep you interested and thinking all the way, and that, my friends, is basically what a good story is all about. Fine acting, plausible story, so true to real life. Well worth the 10 points!
Ben is like many of us - a washed-out entertainer who has developed a cynical view or life, and a jaded point of view with many issues. The fact that he loses his job, loses communication with his only daughter, is forced to deliver pizza, does not help the man's character, but embitters it. I can relate to that. Like Ben, I am a thinker, who does not believe in taking things lying down. I would have gone all the way like he did when the city tow truck towed his car just when his dear Senegalese friend Ibou relapsed into diabetic shock and needed to get to a hospital.
But then, when Ibou's sister Khadi came from Senegal to help take care of him, changes sparked in Ben, slowly at first, almost imperceptible, then more and more pronounced. How could you not fall in love with the curvy Khadi, with her beautiful raw African features, her womanly confidence and her vision of "magic"? No pretentiousness here, no overbearing or meddling - quite the contrary. You tend to admire the inner strength of such women, so akin to their culture and ways of life. I once met a woman like that from Nigeria, whose brother worked as an Engineer in the local Shell corp. The way she moved, her similar dress and grooming, made me look twice and say: "Now THAT is a woman!" Sadly, as in Ben's case, yes, such a relationship is fraught with difficulties, chiefly because of the distance between 2 Worlds. She was uncomfortable in our 'civilized' World, and Ben would not be able to adapt well in hers. Besides, he wanted to resurrect his singing career, and Senegal would not have been the right place, maybe. That too was my case with the girl in question.. However, by then Ben understood 2 things - one of them being that he was a good man, a man without racial prejudice, open, simple and unpretentious. Such men are hard to come by these days. The second thing he realized I will not say. I will leave you to view the movie, and come to your own conclusions.
So it's not the stomping, heart-throbbing drama like you see in other movies, but it will keep you interested and thinking all the way, and that, my friends, is basically what a good story is all about. Fine acting, plausible story, so true to real life. Well worth the 10 points!