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Night of the Kings

Name: Night of the Kings
Director: Philippe Lacôte
Released: 2021
Duration: 93 min

Representation Score

7.2/10

Good

2021

Director

Philippe Lacôte

Runtime

93 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Night of the Kings is a powerful reclaiming of African cultural identity. It achieves significant progressive value by focusing on African spiritual traditions and rejecting the need for a Western viewpoint to validate its story. The film challenges typical global cinema expectations by prioritizing heritage and mythic landscapes. Although it doesn’t delve into modern Western identity politics regarding gender or sexuality, its cultural richness is substantial. Ultimately, the film succeeds by presenting a sovereign African metaphysical reality where identity and ancestral memory are the main drivers of the human experience.

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Category Breakdown

Does Night of the Kings have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on a male-dominated social and spiritual hierarchy without featuring non-straight or non-cisgender identities. It also doesn't challenge the idea that everyone is assumed to be straight.

How does Night of the Kings portray gender?

Limited

The movie takes place in a predominantly masculine environment centered around Moussa and other male inmates. Women play a less prominent role in this dreamscape.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Night of the Kings?

Excellent

The film features an all-Black cast and draws from Ivorian culture. It presents a fully realized African metaphysical reality without relying on a Western perspective.

How does Night of the Kings represent religion and culture?

Excellent

By emphasizing African spiritual beliefs and oral storytelling, the film questions Western rationalism. It uses magical realism to explore mythic morality and ancestral ties.

Does Night of the Kings include disability representation?

Fair

The film examines the universal theme of mortality but does not specifically depict neurodivergence or physical disabilities as key plot elements.

Present on Screen

Authentic West African representation through an all-Black cast.
Sophisticated use of Ivorian cosmology and indigenous spiritual narratives.
Effective deconstruction of Western rationalism through oral storytelling.

Limited or Absent

Lack of representation for non-straight or non-cisgender identities.
Limited female presence in a predominantly masculine narrative.
No specific depiction of neurodivergence or physical disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A young man is sent to "La Maca," a prison in the middle of the Ivorian forest ruled by its inmates. As tradition goes with the rising of the red moon, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners. Learning what fate awaits him, he begins to narrate the mystical life of the legendary outlaw named "Zama King" and has no choice but to make his story last until dawn.

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