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Night Of The Kings Review: A Captivating Film That Explores Storytelling
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Written and directed by Philippe Lacôte, Night of the Kings deliberately and effectively explores the beauty and importance of storytelling and performance art, often blurring the lines between what is real and what is myth. It’s not easy to blend the two, but Lacôte does so to a moving and poignant effect. Night of the Kings captures the hierarchy of a prison ruled by inmates, the hunger for power, and the captivating story bringing the inmates together.
Set in the forest of the Ivory Coast’s Abidjan, a new prisoner (Bakary Koné) is brought to MACA, an overly populated prison that is run by the inmates. The warden has given up trying to do anything about that, leaving the prisoners to convene amongst themselves. While the inmates have the power, there are factions within MACA’s walls. At the top of the hierarchy sits a man they call Blackbeard (Steve Tientcheu), who is nearing the end of his life and is barely holding it together long enough to breathe with the aid of his oxygen tank. However, Blackbeard knows the rules — someone too sick to govern the others must take his own life.
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To stall from the inevitable bloodshed and power struggle stirring between the remaining inmates, he names Koné’s character (whose name is never revealed) Roman, the storyteller, tasked with entertaining the prisoners with a tale. Until then, Roman is safe, but the anxiety, tension, and the nearly uncontrollable need to attack grow as dawn approaches. Lacôte impressively weaves together his own story within a story. The brewing tension is never far from reality, but Roman nervously pulls together the pieces of a story long enough to keep the other prisoners at bay. He’s the new guy and there’s a sense of heightened fear that is displayed across his face and in his body language.
He’s anxious and scared, unsure of his place in MACA and unclear about the rules and levels of power that govern the prison. Roman, to save his own life, becomes like Shahrazad from The Arabian Nights, adding parts to the story whenever it nears completion. The longer the night goes on, the deeper Roman goes, fabricating a tale that is seemingly drawn from his own backstory, with flecks of fantastical moments thrown in for good measure. The story he tells is itself a political one and, the more Lacôte blurs the lines of reality and fiction, the more nuanced Night of the Kings becomes. Roman tells the tale with a sense of urgency and it’s not hard to understand why.
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But, the other prisoners aren’t just passive audience members. No, they are as much a part of the story he is telling, rising to act out the tale with their bodies, their movements a fluid and organic extension of Roman’s narration. It’s magnetic and entrancing to watch, with Lacôte underscoring the combination to drive home the crucial, and in this case life-saving, need for storytelling as an art form. It’s beautifully hypnotizing and the film is strengthened by the inclusion of such a rich mythos. Roman's story comes alive in live-action as well, with the cinematography by Tobie Marier-Robitaille creating a visually stunning palette that stands in contrast to the prison.
All that said, Night of the Kings' grip loosens its hold as it nears the end, with its finale being more prolonged than need be. It somewhat disrupts the tight writing that seamlessly allows the film to flow freely and passionately throughout the majority of its runtime. As Roman's story winds down, there's a deep sense of loss, as though the film itself is as unsure of how to move on from the tale as the inmates are. But, despite a weaker final act, Night of the Kings is spectacular, enthralling, and gripping. It's nearly poetic in its execution and that alone makes it well worth the watch.
Night of the Kings is currently playing in theaters and is available on premium on demand March 5, 2021. The film is 93 minutes long and is rated R for some violent material, language and nudity.
