ABC Africa (Abbas Kiarostami, 2001)

ABC Africa (Abbas Kiarostami, 2001)
Rating: 7.4

Asked by the UN International Fund for Economic Development (IFAD) to make a film documenting the plight of millions of Ugandan orphans ravaged by the recent civil war and the scourge of AIDS as well as malaria Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami delivers a visual poem that serves as a testament to the spirit of the African people. Rather than bombarding us with constant images of death and despair, we see the positive efforts being made by the community to combat the dismal circumstances. Kiarstami interviews an Austrian couple who has adopted an abandoned African child, and highlights the efforts of members of Uganda Women's Effort to Save orphans (UWESCO) Children and other villagers happily sing, dance, and perform their native music for the camera. The most powerful yet heartbreaking images are seen during the visit to the AIDS treatment center, which is in poor condition and obviously lacks proper resources and economic benefit. The camera pans through the hospital showing dying children as well as adults and ends with the haunting scene where a dead child is wrapped in a few blankets, put on a makeshift stretched made from a cardboard box and then wheeled off on a bicycle. After a while I felt the film became a bit repetitive, and I would have preferred higher production value as opposed to the handheld digital cameras (although I understand aesthetics was not a priority).