Aunt Oumy (Aminata Fall) slaughters a goat to feed her family, doing so in her home outside Dakar. Oumy’s home is a landmark for her niece Anta (Myriam Niang) before she meets her boyfriend Mory (Magaye Niang). They make love atop a rocky cliff, hearing the ocean waves, and then they talk about leaving. Dakar, to them, is a gateway to Paris. The first part of the plan involves stealing the prize money for a wrestling match. The second also involves stealing – taking the clothes from Mory’s gay friend who lives in a hotel resort close to the port.

After doing both things, Anta and Mory parade themselves around town, giving away some of the money that they steal. They arrive at port, seemingly with little incident. But what happens after they line up for the ship that’s taking them to their destination? Djibril Diop Mambety’s Touki Bouki blurs fantasy and reality, a film that I wasn’t ready for when I first saw it back in my twenties. At the risk of sounding like an old man yelling, I can imagine this not hitting with younger generations. The first act, despite having some expressionist touches, feeling like a Senegalese version of a Parajanov film, felt more silent.

I’m not sure how my attention span is now but Touki Bouki‘s first act during this viewing reveals its pockets depicting Dakar’s vibrancy. Despite that, it’s understandable why Anta and Mory want to leave Senegal but the film making here counters that sentiment. This is one of many films that rewards its patient viewers by having more fun after one gets to the second act. After all, this basically has two people in love committing a heist, 70s style. Cinematographer George Bracher depicts all of this action with familiar iconography and warm colours but with captivating twists. Senegal is its own character here, this film being a love letter to a seemingly complex country.

As someone also from the global south I can see Touki Bouki’s beautiful contradictions and how things are different yet… similar. Within the city one can drive through newly paved roads but also walk far enough to be with one’s tribe. Arguably, even nature is just a walk away, with the ocean beckoning for both Anta and Mory to cross it. The wrestling scene also showcases all of this – African and Islamic traditions as mosaic pieces within Westernization. I’m still trying to process some of its depictions of queerness as it depicts a queer character as a victim. But there’s an openness to sexual expression here that fits well within this fantastical version of a city one can’t escape.

Touki Bouki is available to stream on MUBI, which-