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Time

Name: Time
Director: Souleymane Cissé
Released: 1995
Duration: 140 min

Representation Score

3.3/10

Limited

1995

Director

Souleymane Cissé

Runtime

140 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Souleymane Cissé’s *Time* is a powerful exercise in post-colonial storytelling. It succeeds by centering African indigenous identity and resisting Western-centric developmental clichés, particularly through its authentic portrayal of Malian cultural frameworks. The film's strength lies in its refusal to frame non-Western societies through an external lens. By treating traditional knowledge and animist spirituality as vital forces, it challenges the dominance of Western narrative norms. However, the film remains rooted in traditional social structures. The lack of LGBTQ+ representation and the adherence to patriarchal hierarchies limit its scope regarding modern social diversity.

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Category Breakdown

Does Time have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. The story focuses exclusively on lineage and the transmission of tradition within a rural Malian context.

How does Time portray gender?

Limited

The narrative depicts traditional patriarchal social structures. While characters have depth, the film presents these hierarchies as foundational elements rather than seeking to challenge them.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Time?

Excellent

The film excels by centering an all-Black cast within an indigenous framework. It avoids the Western gaze, granting characters high ability to act within their own cultural ecosystem.

How does Time represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The work offers a sophisticated critique of Western encroachment. It emphasizes animist spirituality and ancestral wisdom over organized Abrahamic structures to portray non-Western metaphysics.

Does Time include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no prominent depictions of physical or neurodivergent disabilities. No such characters serve as central drivers for the plot.

Present on Screen

Authentic ethnic representation through an all-Black cast.
Sophisticated critique of Western modernity and technological encroachment.
Nuanced portrayal of non-Western metaphysics and ancestral wisdom.

Limited or Absent

Lack of LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight narratives.
Adherence to traditional patriarchal gender hierarchies.
Absence of disability representation within the narrative.

Official Synopsis

Beginning in South Africa under the apartheid regime, the film follows a young girl who flees the country after a violent confrontation with a local white landowner in which her father is killed. She settles in Abidjan, where, ten years later, she has become a university student. As part of her studies, she visits the Taureg tribe on the edge of the Sahara before at last returning to post-Apartheid South Africa.

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