Underplayed Gems

The Blue Eyes of Yonta (1992)

The Blue Eyes of Yonta poster
Original title
Udju Azul di Yonta
Directed by
Flora Gomes
Genre
drama film
Country
Guinea-Bissau, France, Portugal
Runtime
1h 30m
Rating
7.5 of 10 from 8 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

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The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

In post-independence Guinea-Bissau, a young student pines for a woman who is herself in love with an older man who fought in the war. The film explores the lingering effects of the conflict on both the veterans and the younger generation.

reflectiveyearningtenderromanticbittersweetcontemplativemelancholichopeful

What happens

Udju Azul di Yonta / The Blue Eyes of Yonta is a 1991 Portuguese film, the second film by the Bissau-Guinean director Flora Gomes. The government of Guinea-Bissau helped in production, together with the Institute of Cinema in Portugal, Vermedia Productions, and Portuguese television. Udju Azul di Yonta examines the aftermath of the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence, "in the lives of those who fought, as well as in the lives of their children who are the hope of the future." The film is structured around a triangle of unrequited love: the young student Zé is infatuated with the beautiful Yonta, who in turn is in love with Vicente, a militant former comrade of Yonta's father. The soundtrack was created by the band Super Mama Djombo, with members reuniting under the name for this purpose. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.