Short Film Review: “Dajla: Cinema and Oblivion”
Dir: Arturo Dueñas Herrero
Spain • Documentary • 15 Mins
The monotony of everyday life in Dakhla, one of the Sahrawi refugee camps in southern Algeria, forgotten for 45 years, goes by. When a film festival comes to town it brings a whirlwind of excitement, but only momentarily, as when the event ends, life (and oblivion) continues.
A picture speaks a thousand words as the old adage goes and Dajla: Cinema and Oblivion encapsulates that perfectly. The film is something of a visual scrapbook, completely free of narration and sparsely subtitled leaving the viewer to build their own interpretations based purely on the images.
We spend 3 days in Dakhla simply as observers. There are no soundbites, interviews or even main characters that we follow. We see life in the village, kids in school, people preparing meals, folks out shopping. Both cars and donkey-led carriages go about their business. When a truck full of gas canisters arrives, everyone, young and old, male and female, pitches in to unload and reload the truck.
The visuals are stunning, capturing both the beauty and the desolation of life in Dakhla. The images are rife with contradictions based on our perceptions. We see people on mobile phones watching videos, women discussing the potential arrival of a beauty salon, a local store offering brand-named goods that we’re all familiar with, yet these familiarities are in a world far away from the health and safety-driven society we’re used to. This is brought home in, perhaps unintentionally, hilarious fashion as we witness a resident fill a petrol canister with a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. For all the beauty and simplicity of life here, there’s a sense of ever-present, looming danger, with a military presence and helicopters going almost unnoticed, but clearly visible.
When the Western Sahara International Film Festival comes to town the following night, the village comes alive. The excitement and fascination is clearly evident on the faces of all who gather to see the films. Sat in the desert in the dark of night (free from light pollution), with the films beamed onto a large screen, the entire village comes together as their minds are transported away and enjoy the majesty of cinema, in a truly unique setting and circumstance.
Come the morning, as the festival departs, it’s back to life as normal. Back to work. Back to school. Back to chores. And once again, everyone pitching in to tidy up from the events of the night before.
Dajla: Cinema and Oblivion is a brilliantly realised documentary offering no judgement, but plenty of insight. It’s a fascinating look at life a world far away from our own and a brilliant reminder of the power of cinema.
8/10
Dajla: Cinema and Oblivion was nominated for Best Documentary at our 2022 film festival.
Reviewed by Philip Pugh
