Minga
has a lot in common with Cinderella, like an evil step-mother and a selfish
step-sister, but her prince recognizes her right away as the woman he loves. They
will still have to fight for their happily-ever-after in Claye Edou’s Minga and the Broken Spoon (trailer here), which screens as
part of the New York African Diaspora International Film Festival’s school
program.
Broken Spoon has already made history
as the first animated film produced in Cameroon. Animation fans should grade on
a generous curve, because its level of sophistication is a far cry from what they
would expect from Japanese and Hollywood animation houses. However, the vibrant
colors are pleasing to the eye and appropriate to the film’s setting and story.
There are also several virtue-instilling messages parents will appreciate. If
you want to really dive deep, you can also pull out a timely critique of polygamy.
Poor
Minga is the daughter of her late father’s second wife. When both her parents
died from disease, she was left at the mercy of her step-mother, Mami Kaba, who
exploits her cruelly. When Minga accidentally breaks a spoon her late father
has specially crafted for Mami Kaba, the first wife finally expels the
Cinderella-like girl from her home. Frankly, it is the best thing that could
happen to Minga, but she doesn’t immediately see it that way. However, thanks
to the help of a mysterious hermit, Minga soon finds herself in the company of
Prince Lobe and his loyal retainers. She should just declare victory then and
there, but she is determined to have a rapprochement, even though she doesn’t
owe them anything.
Shrewdly,
Edou adapted a beloved Cameroonian children’s book, guaranteeing a large
domestic audience for the film, over and above its novelty as the nation’s first
animated feature. It is easy to see analogs or models for many plot points in Broken Spoon, including Cinderella, of course, but also Aladdin,
several of Aesop’s fables, and the frog and the scorpion parable Orson Welles
tells in Mr. Arkadin. However, Minga’s
tale rewards hard work, humility, and respect for elders in compelling ways.
It
is probably safe to say the third act makes a decisive break from the Cinderella narrative, but that makes it
feel rather fresh and different. The closing song is also quite catchy. Again,
animation connoisseurs need to temper their expectations, but they should at
least give the film its trailblazing due. In fact, it is quite likable in an old-fashioned
kind of way. Recommended for patrons of African cinema and supportive animation
fans, Minga and the Broken Spoon screens
this Friday (11/23), next Friday (11/30), and Sunday, December 9th, during
this year’s NYADIFF.
