Angola is a nation on the western coast of southern Africa.
Originally occupied by Portugal, battling for independence, which didn’t come
until 1975, and then embroiled in a violent civil war that didn’t end until
2002, it’s an embattled country and not the cheeriest of places. But it also
happens to be home to a youth underground turning to an unlikely outlet for
hope: death metal. If that sounds like a fascinating subject worth exploring,
you’re not alone, and it’s the topic of Jeremy Xido’s excellent new documentary
Death Metal Angola.
Home to vast natural resource reserves, this is a nation
that’s dealt with colonialism, slavery, and brutal war, all within a relatively
recent time frame, and may be the least likely place you’d ever think you’d find
a death metal music festival. Xido’s film, however, chronicles the efforts of
two people, with help from a ton more as you would expect, to stage the
Angola’s first ever such event. And the folks behind this are just as unlikely
as the concert itself.
Sonia Ferreira runs an orphanage Huambo, caring for more
than 50 boys of varying ages. Easy going and laid back on the surface, there’s
a fierceness that runs below that calm, motherly exterior. You only see
glimpses of it, but when she tells stories, her strength and resolve become
increasingly clear. For instance, during the civil war, when the city was under
siege, she gathered the kids all together, found a plane, and took them away to
wait out the danger. Along the way, a mother even gave Sonia her son so he
would be safe. She recounts this event as if it’s no big deal, just a matter of
fact occurrence, focusing more on how the kids were excited to be on a plane
rather than the very real danger they were in.
While Death Metal Angola could very easily
be a story of the ravages and consequences of war, it is, largely because of
Sonia’s efforts, hopeful and bursting with life. There’s never any wallowing or
self-pity, even in dire circumstances and in the face of crushing odds, and
this falls into the subcategory of movies that chronicle the healing and
uniting power of music that certainly appears to be universal, or at least damn
near.
A music lover, along with her boyfriend Wilker, Sonia cares
for these boys, encouraging them to express themselves, and it just so happens
that the brutal, churning rhythms and blast beats of death metal fits the bill
just perfectly. Sonia and Wilker’s attempt to stage Angola’s first outdoor
death metal fest is a herculean task in itself, and one that you’re never sure
is going to be successful or not. This forms the core of the film, and is also
the primary source of tension. Other people enter and exit the film, as do
other themes and story threads—one scene of Sonia interviewing a young boy who
has just been dropped off at the orphanage is especially haunting—but these are
the ones that carry throughout.
This is really a quiet, intimate film, despite the obvious
volume of the subject matter, and Xido is content to be a fly on the wall, with
his camera recording everything. Title cards give you the historical and
cultural context, but beyond that, there’s not much looking into the past. You
get a picture of the current state of the underground death metal and hardcore
scene in Angola, both in Huambo and elsewhere, but Death Metal
Angola is more interested in showing it as it exists rather than
exploring how it came to be and developed. All of that is handled in a single
scene or two.
Though music here is depicted as a means of expression and
community building as opposed to carrying any political agenda, you get the
impression that its very existence is makes it so, even in a minor way. As with
everywhere in the world, music means different things to different
participants, and Xido gives each viewpoint equal time. He shows you this scene
and lets you make of it what you will, satisfied to watch and observe as these
kids attempt to rebuild a culture that was all but annihilated in the war.
You’ve seen documentaries about the true transformative
power of music before, but never one quite like this. Upbeat, sweet, and energetic
as all hell, Death Metal Angola does exactly what you want
out of a documentary, illuminating a corner of the world you’ve never seen and
shows you why you should care. It could have used a few more musical scenes,
but this is still way more fun and optimistic than you expect a movie about a
war-ravaged region of the world to be. Even angry music about blood and death
can be hopeful given the right setting.
Death Metal Angola is now available on
iTunes and hits VOD shortly.
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