Black Tea
Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako
Written by Kessen Tall, Abderrahmane Sissako
Starring Nina Melo, Han Chang, Ke-Xi Wu
2024 | Drama | 1h 50m
Director Abderrahmane Sissako is best known for his 2014 film, Timbuktu, about the invasion of Mali by Libyan jihadists. Timbuktu received numerous nominations and festival awards for best film, best director, and best actor. Black Tea is something different altogether , a haunting search by individuals for a sense of place. One thinks of the word “hiraeth”, a Welsh term for deep yearning for a home, even if a person has never been there in physical form. For some, this 2024 film is satisfying, like a cup of tea perfectly brewed. For others, the film may disappoint due to its non-traditional narrative.
The opening sequence is fascinating – an ant crawls up the length of an exquisite wedding gown. Bride and groom sit silently in a room filled with joyful guests who have come to celebrate the wedding of Aya Yohou and Toussaint Wasi in the Ivory Coast. The bride-to-be Aya whispers to her intended husband, “I don’t want a future made of lies”. A mutual chill is palpable. As the couple stands before the officiant and the key question is asked, Toussaint says yes. The bride does not. The wedding audience is stunned into silence. Aya walks out, discarding her veil as she marches through a throng of villagers and vendors, sure in her purpose at that moment.
Fragments of Story: Ambiguity Over Answers
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Black Tea does not present a clear narrative. Rather, the film is episodic in nature, focused on key moments before it fades into another night, another year, another country – from the Ivory Coast to China to Cape Verde. The lead characters are well chosen and present an air of mystery and subtle uncertainty as they interact.
Nina Melo plays Aya beautifully. After she stalks from the wedding venue, we next see her in Chocolate City in Guangzhou, China (formerly known as Canton), the home of many African expatriates. She has transformed her appearance as well as her life. She walks with confidence among the busy night markets of this commercial center, and has friends in cafes and tea houses. In fact, tea has become her major focus. She works for Wang Cai, a divorced father of two and major purveyor of fine tea. The actor Chang Han as Wang Cai exudes subtle sensuality, and the viewer definitely is interested in where this relationship is going.
Cape Verde, Connections, and Confusion
Then the plot becomes confusing. We are introduced to Wing, the former wife of Cai. His children also have lives of their own, as do two neighboring vendors. While we welcome details about the deep connections between African expatriates and the people of Guangzhou, we viewers might prefer a more direct line of narration as far as family romances go. Why is Cai’s daughter living in Cape Verde and not closer to her family? What is the tie between Cai and Cape Verde that causes him to linger in this city full of memories, listening to “morna” music in the nightclubs? Did former wife Wing know Aya before Aya was hired by Cai? What is the unrest in Chocolate City that causes some concern among Chinese vendors? And what does Aya want, exactly? Weaving through the lives and business concerns of this international city are tourists and traders who come from other cultures and continents, intent on purchasing tea in wholesale quantities. And as a busy commercial center, the city is under the watchful eye of Chinese police, who patrol on foot without guns, go into African salons for hair cuts and blend in to a surprising degree.
The film resists resolution, preferring silence to answers and sensation to structure
Tea as Ritual, Romance, and Metaphor
The Language of Tea
Woven throughout is the magic and mystery of tea. “I love everything to do with tea,” Aya says happily in Mandarin, as Cai begins to teach her the complex art and science of tea. “Taste the tea in three sips,” he says. “Set aside time to breathe, to experience each moment of the tea,” Cai continues. Gently Cai leans over Aya, hands on her shoulders, then covers her hands with his own as he demonstrates each precise step in the “closed cup method of making tea”. He takes her to his tea plantation. The romance begins.
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Cinematography, Color, and the Poetry of Night Markets
Cinematography and lighting are spectacular in this film. Most scenes are filmed after sundown in the famous night markets. Music, colors, lighting variations prevail nicely in the silences between lovers, the silences between vendors bargaining with clients, and the quiet after pain or disillusionment.
See this film, yes. Director Sissako explores multifaceted cultures not well known in the west. Just don’t expect a clear story line as to whether anyone lives happily ever after. Its exploration of diverse cultures and the nuanced journeys of its characters makes it a compelling and worthwhile viewing experience.
