Film Review: AMANSA TIAFI: An Exercise in Style Over Substance [Locarno 2021]

Amansa tiafi Review

Amansa tiafi (2021) Film Review from the 74th Annual Locarno Film Festival, a movie directed by Kofi Ofosu-Yeboah, and starring Briggitte Appiah, David Klu, Ricky Kofi Adelayitar, Brimah Watara, and Dickson Owusu.

Amansa tiafi (Public Toilet Africa) is a film from Ghana mainly about a woman named Ama (Briggitte Appiah) who was given away to a white art collector when she was young. She wants to discover the life she missed out on in director Kofi Ofosu-Yeboah’s highly stylized new film. This film has so much happening in it and it cuts to different locations and shows us different characters at given moments to bring its main character’s thoughts, ideas and politics into view. It’s a movie with a lot to say that seemingly doesn’t say everything it wants to resulting in an, at times, entertaining picture that feels like it’s more concerned with its style than its substance.

David Klu, in one of the film’s best performances, plays Ama’s partner in crime Sadiq. Ama obtains a gun which hints to the audience she has an agenda and, indeed, she does. These two are on a mission to get back what was taken from them as we also encounter different characters that have relevance to the film’s plot throughout. They include a crooked politician among others. Meanwhile, the film gives a glimpse into the fragile local legal system as well as the art world at hand.

Two of the key characters the film devotes a lot of screen time to are two older gentlemen named Atta (Ricky Kofi Adelayitar) and Kwaku (Brimah Watara) who are mostly drunks above all else. These two guys argue a lot while providing much silliness and comic relief such as when they discuss different types of flatulence. These two characters have significance in terms of how they relate to the movie’s plot but their jokes only work in spurts.

One of the best things about Amansa tiafi is its inclusion of the song “Psychedelic Woman” by the Honey & the Bees band. This song is played in relation to the character of Ama and is a terrific way to add flavor to the characterizations in the film as well as pick the film’s pace up a bit during slower moments. It is an appropriate song for the picture that gives the film some true pizzazz. The imagery accompanying the song is also well selected.

The key politician the film focuses on is known as Honorable-Honorable and is played by Dickson Owusu. This role is played well as the character is focused solely on winning and doesn’t know how much he truly wants to change the situations at hand once he wins. Owusu adds many layers to his characterization. His role may have seemed less fleshed out on the page than it actually comes across on screen and that is definitely to the actor’s credit.

The film also features voice-over narration about the things occurring on screen and while what is said is interesting, it doesn’t always advance the plot forward. With that said, there are two central performances by Appiah and Klu that give the movie an edge that keeps it entertaining for the most part. These two characters project coolness and confidence through their outer appearance (sunglasses and all) and both players deliver memorable performances.

Amansa tiafi is a very stylish film but, unfortunately, some of the highlights of the story line get pushed to the sidelines in the name of artistic showiness. It’s fun to watch but occasionally we get lost in the shuffle by some things that happen which feel irrelevant. But, never mind. Amansa tiafi is nothing less than a stylish look into some topics that are not too often seen in today’s films and the movie will most likely find an audience to appreciate it.

Rating: 6/10

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