The Film Fatou la Malienne (2001) was an at times moving TV drama about a young Parisienne of African family, who is roughly confronted with the tradition of her parent's homeland and culture when by machinations of her aunts she is forced into an arranged marriage with a distant relative from Africa who brings with him African male chauvinist view of women. Fatou resists and is repeatedly raped on her wedding night and kept prisoner in the room (the idea being that pregnancy will make her submissive). Fortunately, she is liberated by a friend and makes the unprecedented move to file criminal charges against her husband and her family (this part was loosely based on a true story).
The film Fatou l'Espoir picks up the story a few years later when Fatou has become a known fashion hair dresser in London and returns to Paris for a show. She wants to make use of the occasion to meet and reconcile with her family but finds that it is not so easy. Her rebellion against the tradition has caused the break up of her family. She and her brother have been ostracised from the community. Fatou must patch up her family while coming to terms with the traumas of the past. In the meantime there are a liberal physician as love interest and a sleazy manager who wants to coerce her into doing sexy commercials to complicate matters.
Unfortunately, the film suffers from the sequel malady. The first film was a strong statement against the institutionalised oppression of women that tradition often embodies. The sequel tries to explain too much and lacks focus. The very beautiful Fatou N'Diaye does not convince as much as a soul-searching rape victim than as the joyful teenager she put down in the first film. Still, especially as a double bill with the first film it does provide the satisfying happy end that the first film was looking for.
The film Fatou l'Espoir picks up the story a few years later when Fatou has become a known fashion hair dresser in London and returns to Paris for a show. She wants to make use of the occasion to meet and reconcile with her family but finds that it is not so easy. Her rebellion against the tradition has caused the break up of her family. She and her brother have been ostracised from the community. Fatou must patch up her family while coming to terms with the traumas of the past. In the meantime there are a liberal physician as love interest and a sleazy manager who wants to coerce her into doing sexy commercials to complicate matters.
Unfortunately, the film suffers from the sequel malady. The first film was a strong statement against the institutionalised oppression of women that tradition often embodies. The sequel tries to explain too much and lacks focus. The very beautiful Fatou N'Diaye does not convince as much as a soul-searching rape victim than as the joyful teenager she put down in the first film. Still, especially as a double bill with the first film it does provide the satisfying happy end that the first film was looking for.