Glorious Exit

In Masaki Kobayashi’s Kwaidan, a monk sang so beautifully of an epic battle between two clans that their ghosts came to ask him to sing for their assembly… which cost him both ears. Jarreth, a métis, is an actor in Los Angeles when he learns his father has died in Nigeria. As the eldest son, he is responsible for arranging the funeral. Although he hardly knew his father and is unfamiliar with African customs, he accepts this impossible mission precisely out of respect for tradition. What he fails to realize and what will conceal the warmth of his African family’s hospitality, are the social issues of the funeral and the complex alliances at stake. He thus finds himself at the heart of a conflict between two clans where threats of poisoning are not empty. This return to his roots brings Jarreth face to face with problems that are all the more dangerous as he has no solutions to hand. First there is the funeral’s exorbitant cost that no one can pay, and then learning a ritual where there is no room for improvisation if you don’t know your lines. Being an actor in these circumstances makes you resourceful. (Yann Lardeau)