Set in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon, Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu’s House of the Wind (La Maison Du Vent) centers on Josette (Josette Kwanya) a lonely octogenarian woman whose grown children have all left for better lives in the West. The only time she gets to spend with them is on Zoom. And despite several attempts from them to get her to leave Cameroon, she refuses. Her eldest son keeps promising to return but never does.
Josette is determined to have her kids build her a house, for them, but where she can live out her remaining days. Alas, her son stops sending money for the home so she must go to a local loan chapter set up by a fierce group of women (seriously, they’re worse than loan sharks) to get the cash.
Meanwhile, she is befriended by Sarah (Moudjeu Pouadeu), a young woman who helps her when she can’t locate her ID. Sarah asks for Josette’s help in return. She wants her to pretend to be her mother when her white fiancé (Adrien Jolivet) arrives from France. Josette initially says no but ends up moving Sarah into her home. A bizarre but tender bond forms between them and Josette begins to alter her perception of what a true family really is.
Josette does something so meddlesome, misguided and downright cruel late in the film that I wondered what her motivation could be? Was it selfishness/jealousy or a real belief she was doing the right thing? I’m being deliberately vague so as not to reveal a spoiler.
The two lead female actors are wonderful with Sadjo showing exceptional promise.
House of the Wind is an evocative drama that captivated me throughout.
The film is part of the Horizons (Orizzonti) section of the Venice Film Festival.
In French, with English subtitles.
Hello Frank! Great review! FYI – the role of Sarah is played by Moudjeu Pouadeu (not by Babetida Sadjo — who plays one of Josette's daughters). Thank you, John