"Omen", the debut feature from Congolese director Baloji, is a poignant tale of cross-cultural discovery that weaves together themes of witchcraft, exclusion and feminism. Having already impressed the jury at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the film has been picked to represent Belgium at next year's Oscars.
A young black man living in Europe is heading back home to the Democratic Republic of Congo on a special trip. He is taking his white girlfriend to meet his family, who he hasn't seen for a long time.
He's nervous, especially as he is to introduce her as his future wife and the mother of his unborn child.
On paper, "Omen" might appear to tell a classic story – except that, as the film unfolds, audiences are taken deeper into a strange rabbit hole where nothing is as it seems.
The mood is set from the moment Koffi (played by Marc Zinga) arrives at a family gathering where he is referred to with the word "zabolo". When his partner Alice (played by Lucie Debay) asks the meaning, he answers: "mark of the devil".
We learn that the birthmark on his forehead has marked him as "evil" – something akin to a sorcerer, bringing bad omens to the community.
His relatives stare at him in stunned silence as he meets the piercing gaze of Mama Mujila (played by Yves-Marina Gnahoua). This formidable woman makes Koffi's knees buckle, but he's determined to set things right with the past.
This will not be an easy task in the eyes of a mother figure who has had to shun her own son to avoid being stigmatised by those around her.
There is a sense that she may even be jealous of her son, who was able to escape the burden of tradition and superstition to make his own way in the world.
Switching perspectives
In his modern-day fairytale, Baloji tricks the audience into believing they are seeing the story through the European eyes of his lead couple, but ends up drawing them into the other characters' points of view.
Baloji is keen to let his characters tell their own stories, and he makes them more than first meets the eye.
From New Orleans carnival traditions to European folklore, Baloji says he deliberately called on references from all over the world to shake up the boundaries of storytelling.
Like Koffi, the director grew up with a name that was linked to sorcery. Baloji originally means "man of science" in Swahili – but over time and with the arrival of Christianity in Africa, it came to carry negative connotations.
"I’m here to say is that your name doesn’t identify you as a human being," he told RFI after the première of "Omen" at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
"You can be more than this. So this is the whole journey I’m trying to do as a person. I think this is what my characters are going through, to be more than what they’re assigned to."
Among the misfits
Born in Lubumbashi and now based in Belgium, Baloji – who makes music as well as films – says he doesn't want to be put in one box.
Through "Omen" he has become a flag bearer for the misfits of society, those who are misunderstood and marginalised.
Koffi's sister Tshala (Eliane Umuhire) is not accepted because she has chosen to live an independent life and refuses to be intimidated by society's expectations.
Meanwhile Paco the street urchin (Marcel Otete Kabeya) fends for himself. He dresses in costumes and make-up, hustles to get by and gets caught up in petty rivalries with other gangs.
"I think it’s very interesting that once women turn 50, they disappear, so their point of view doesn’t matter anymore. I think this is an interesting contrast with the 15-year-old street kid – his point of view doesn’t exist either," Baloji explains.
"And Tshala’s opinion won’t matter until she becomes a mum. People still see her as incomplete human being."
Feminist exploration
The director says he was specifically interested in women's experiences within a patriarchal society.
"That was one of the most important things I wanted to show: how society is structured for men, and how they try to control women’s bodies," he says.
"I’ve been studying feminism a lot. I think that’s my obligation, because as a man, I’m part of the problem. And part of the solution as well."
Using his skills as a musician, he has written four soundtracks for "Omen", one for each of the main characters – a powerful tool he said helped develop their energies and personalities.
He also was in charge of designing costumes, and the aesthetic recalls his two short films "Zombies" (2019) and "Peau de Chagrin/Bleu de Nuit" (2018).
After winning the Un Certain Regard New Voice Prize at Cannes, "Omen" has gone on to win numerous other prizes – notably best director at the Angoulême francophone film festival in August, best cinematic contribution at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah in December, and best African film at the Durban International Film Festival in July.
Released in France last month, it has been chosen to represent Belgium at the 2024 Oscars.
