TIFF '24: "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl" and 'Vagabond Queen'

by Cláudio Alves 

ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL

This year, like the last, I'm focusing much of my TIFF schedule on international cinema, looking a bit past the Hollywood Oscar hopefuls that tend to overtake the conversation. Sometimes, this strategy results in glorious cinematic experiences, often bolstered by a feeling of discovery. In other occasions, the outcome is more disappointing but no less interesting to parse out. All this to say that, diving into part of the African contingent of TIFF programming, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl and The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos represent a study in contrasts, from their value as cinema to their intentions, from character study in oblique terms to a raging political indictment of national injustices…

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