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LIYANA
Directors: Aaron Kopp and Amanda Kopp MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:17 Release Date: 10/10/18 (limited); 10/19/18 (wider) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | October 18, 2018 In Liyana, a group of children from an orphanage in Swaziland tell their stories through the fictional tale of a young girl's adventure. They're following a maxim that's as old as advice about storytelling: Write what you know. The story of Liyana, told by way of minimal animation throughout this documentary, is filled with death, danger, and violence. These kids have known such things throughout their short lives, and they're still experiencing them, even within the relative safety and security of an orphanage, where they have the opportunity to participate in a creative exercise such as this. The film, directed by the husband-and-wife team of Aaron and Amanda Kopp, doesn't trivialize the pain and suffering that has gone into the creation of this tale. We mostly see the kids, as they tell Liyana's story with enthusiasm and as they occasionally explain what happened in their own lives to inspire certain parts of tale. The matter-of-fact way that a few of the kids describe the abuse of Liyana's father is telling. The girl's father and mother die from AIDS, and there's a depressing specificity in the details of how the disease ends up in the girl's home. Liyana's twin brothers are kidnapped by robbers in the night, and the film explains that the orphanage had been robbed a few months prior. The rest of Liyana's tale, helped along by the South African writer Gcina Mhlophe, is an adventure through the diverse geography of Swaziland. The girl encounters assorted animals, faces a hunger that makes her look at her loyal bull companion in a new way, and considers giving up her quest to save her brothers when she finds some comfort. It's a good story, and the Kopps ensure that the illustrated segments are realistic but sparsely animated—so as not to divert our attention from the storytellers. It may be Liyana's story that's the focus here, but we never lose sight of the fact that the tale belongs to and comes from these children. There's despair in Liyana, of course, but the feeling that lasts is how this invented fiction shows the children's desire to keep fighting and maintain hope. Life, as one of the kids says, is harder than telling a story. Stories can point us in the right direction, though, and if this tale is any indication, these children are on the right path. Copyright © 2018 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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