Yeelen (1987)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Nianankoro's father Soma (Niamanto Sanogo) is a part of the order of Komo (Koke Sangare), who practice magic, but he uses his powers for self-gain. He becomes determined to kill his son after receiving a vision that his son will cause his death. Aided by his mother, Nianankoro (Issiaka Kane) leaves his village to seek out his uncle for help. Soma pursues him with the aid of an enchanted pylon that tracks his son's location and breaks all barriers that deter it. As he travels, Nianankoro encounters a hyena who tells him his destiny is to be great. Passing through the territory of the Peul, he is thought to be a thief and captured. Their king Rouma Boli (Balla Moussa Keita) orders him killed, but Nianankoro creates magic that freezes his guards and declares they cannot kill him. Impressed, King Rouma offers Nianankoro his freedom in exchange for aid against a rival tribe. When the tribe attacks, Nianankoro summons a swarm of bees and a fire that drives their attackers away. The king thanks Nianankoro and asks him to cure his wife Attou's infertility. Nianankoro creates an enchantment, but he and Attou (Aoua Sangare) are overcome by lust and sleep together. That night they return to Rouma to confess their crime, and the king reluctantly orders them married and to leave... - Actors:
- Issiaka Kane, Aoua Sangare, Niamanto Sanogo, Balla Moussa Keita, Soumba Traore, Ismaila Sarr, Youssouf Tenin Cissé, Koke Sangare, Youssouf Coulibaly, Manzon Coumare, Souleymane Coumare, Sidi Diallo, Nadje Doumbla, Zan Doumbla, Bremira Dumbla
- Directors:
- Souleymane Cissé
- Producers:
- Souleymane Cissé
- Writers:
- Souleymane Cissé
- Aka:
- Brightness
- Genres:
- Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Collections:
- Top 10 Award Winners at the London Film Festival, Top Films
- Countries:
- Mali
- Awards:
Reviews (1) of Yeelen
Light, Magic and Memory - Yeelen review by griggs
“This story takes place in the 13th century of the Bambara Empire.” From the opening titles, Yeelen tells you it’s playing by its own rules. This is a hypnotic, esoteric journey through West African myth, where sacred relics, elemental magic and prophecy collide.
Souleymane Cissé made the film as a direct response to European ethnographic cinema—those stiff, outsider documentaries. Instead, this is storytelling from the inside: slow, symbolic, and brimming with ancestral weight. Nianankoro’s quest to confront his sorcerer father is both literal and deeply spiritual.
Not everything is explained, and that’s the point. The symbolism pulses with meaning, even if you can’t always grasp it—and maybe you’re not supposed to. It’s not a film that holds your hand, but it does cast a spell.
Yeelen is one of the most transporting films I’ve ever seen. Cinema as ritual.