Making his fictional debut, director/writer/producer Djo Tunda Wa Munga has made a bold statement to the world: that Congolese cinema is here and it’s here in the sexiest, ambitious, and coolest way possible.
Viva Riva! is a taut, sexy drama about a man named Riva (Patsha Bay Mukuna) who has just stolen a shipment of gasoline and has brought it all back to his home town of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is currently facing major gas shortages and this shipment is about to make Riva a very rich man. As charismatic as he is, Riva is carefree and reckless, doing what he wants and trying to get who he wants because he feels like it…and because he’s now rich. After his return to Kinshasa, Viva attempts to woo the beautiful Nora (Manie Malone), a woman who belongs to the most notorious local gangster, which is something I don’t recommend. At the same time, an Angolan crime boss named Cesar (Hoji Fortuna) is searching the streets of Kinshasa for both Viva and his stolen gas.
With violence about to erupt everywhere and money flowing continuously from Viva’s pockets, this movie is about as, violent, stylish and sexual as they get. It sort of reminds me of City of God in the sense that if you subtract the innocence, which is what makes the story and film phenomenal, and add a lot of sex and look only at the aesthetics, you pretty much get this movie. It’s grungy because of the huge disparity between the rich and the poor, the city is extremely underdeveloped and parts of it look more like townships while similar areas have raging nightclubs amidst it all. In addition to that, in both City of God and Viva Riva!, the city is dominated by gangsters and policemen. Ultimately, what ended up drawing me to the film was this stylistic approach and the authenticity of the film.
While the movie sounds like it is more of a gangster flick, in actuality it is more like a love story, a man searching for love and trying to do everything in his power to capture the girl’s heart. By the end of the film, your expectations end up being way off because of the path the story follows and the way the film is marketed.
As for the acting, Hoji Fortuna was the one who stood out the most to me. His performance was excellent; he remained both subtle and ruthless throughout the film with fits of anger thrown into the mix. What made him stand out is that, because of how subtle and calm he had to be at times, you could read all of his real expressions on his face. I guess that’s why he won best supporting actor at the 2011 African Movie Academy Awards.
As for Patsha Bay Mukuna’s performance as Riva, I thought it was just ok. At times he had an almost uneasy presence, but for the rest of the film, he got the job done. This was his first time acting and you could tell, but luckily it didn’t diminish the quality of the film too much. I felt roughly the same about Manie Malone’s performance as Nora, Viva’s love interest. She was good and I can totally see her becoming a big star, but I didn’t buy into her antics all the time.
Overall, I liked Viva Riva!. I didn’t think it was the greatest film but it was a valiant effort that surpassed my expectations. It’s not every day you get to watch a quality movie from the Congo that has great cinematography, solid production value, and a good story to match it all. It honestly is one hell of a cinematic experience that proves that good films can come from the least likely of places.
Rating: A gritty, violent, and extremely sexual drama that’s bound to surpass your expectations (6.8/10)
Viva Riva!’s limited release began on June 10th. Check online to see if it’s coming to a theater near you.
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