Synopsis for “Our Father, the Devil” (Mon Père, le diable)
“An African refugee’s quiet existence in a sleepy mountain town in the south of France is upended by the arrival of a charismatic Catholic priest whom she recognizes as the warlord who slaughtered her family” (IMDb).
Directed by Ellie Foumbi, Our Father, the Devil (Mon Père, le diable) is a French language film with a compelling story and exceptional cast. The film was featured at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, though it was originally released in 2021. This film serves as Foumbi’s directorial debut, and actors Babetida Sadjo, Jennifer Tchiakpe, and Souléymane Sy Savané gave raw and vulnerable performances that made the thriller an emotionally charged film.
The opening imagery set the film in an idyllic mountain range in the south of France, where Marie Cissé (Sadjo) works as the head chef at a local retirement home. Her best friend and co-worker, Nadia (Tchiakpe), is a nurse at the retirement home and tends to Marie when Father Patrick (Savané) shows up at their place of employment, which shocks Marie to the point where she faints.
Spoilers and Content Warning (mention of rape; not depicted in film)— click “read more” to continue.
Overall, the film had several emotionally intense moments that kept the plot moving, and the actors used silence to raise the stakes and keep the audience interested.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars
An Atlanta-based actress, model, writer, and screenwriter, Miranda started her career on stage in high school. She figured out that acting and writing were two passions of hers that allowed her to constructively express her emotions through character and narrative. In 2022, she packed up her cat and everything she owned to move across the US to Atlanta to further pursue opportunities in the entertainment industry. She is currently working on a novel and the screenplay adaptation for the novel, and enjoys designing graphics.
