AFI Fest Review: ‘On Becoming a Guinea Fowl’ is a Contemplative Critique of Culture

Religions and cultures dictate mourning rituals that are often meant to create an environment that feels markedly different from the usual. One’s relationship to the deceased can demand specific responsibilities and invoke particular prohibitions, and an extended process leading up to the burial and funeral may be accompanied by additional changes following those processes. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl details the extensive preparations undertaken by a Zambian family in the wake of one member’s death and the moral and interpersonal conflicts that arise as a result.

Shula (Susan Chardy) is driving home one night dressed in a sparkly helmet and sumo wrestling costume and promptly stops when she sees a body lying in the middle of the street. It’s her Uncle Fred (Roy Chisha), and she waits for the proper authorities to arrive as she is reluctantly joined by her drunk and talkative cousin Nsansa (Elizabeth Chisela). Once the body has been collected, Shula witnesses the devotion everyone pours into honoring the legacy of a man she doesn’t so fondly remember as well as the vilification of his wife Chichi (Norah Mwansa), who is assigned most of the blame for his death without any responsibility put on a man with an established reputation whose untimely demise shouldn’t come as nearly as much of a shock.

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is the second feature film from filmmaker Rungano Nyoni, following 2018’s I Am Not a Witch. Nyoni has a remarkable focus that emphasizes a deep embedding in the setting of her projects rather than fast-moving developments or clearly-defined plot points. Most of the more potent moments in her second film come from unspoken interactions involving cousins Shula, Nsansa, and Bupe (Esther Singini) as they recall involuntary encounters with their uncle as children that have been swept under the rug and collectively forgotten in the post-death glorification of a very flawed and problematic man.

This film speaks loudly about cultures that rely on ancient customs to assign modern punishments, including a tribunal that demands that Chichi’s family apologize and atone for her perceived role in not sufficiently taking care of her husband and keeping him alive. Shula runs around frantically as her many uncles stop her to request plates of foods since they are so hungry, but she and her female cousins are responsible for getting everything for them. This isn’t a complete indictment of family dynamics in Zambian culture but rather a pointed critique about how failing to question existing systems can lead to the perpetuation of demeaning and unacceptable behavior.

This film involves a large ensemble cast, presenting countless extended family members whose specific relationships to the deceased are less relevant than the fact that they are present and stopping all normal activities to participate in prescribed customs. At its center is Chardy, carrying much of the responsibility as its anchor who is well-versed in the traditions of her family and culture but also attuned to modernity as evidenced by her opening outfit and the way in which she engages with the world. It’s a delicate tightrope that she navigates magnificently, serving as the focal point for audiences who might be completely new to everything depicted in this film.

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is undeniably a film that, like the rituals it depicts, is in no rush to get anywhere, instead set on sitting in the discomfort of honoring a man who, by all indications and the unspectacular circumstances of his death, merits little reverence. Nyoni’s deliberate filmmaking stye doesn’t speed things up or offer a way out, instead grounding itself in a series of practices with long-standing roots and ties to the land. There’s much to ponder here, including the need for evolution and progress and the equal importance of remaining tied to what’s always been.

Movie Rating: 7/10

Awards Buzz: Nyoni was awarded the Un Certain Regard prize for Best Director at Cannes and the film earned a healthy number of nominations from the British Independent Film Awards. Having the backing of A24 could help it with independent- and foreign-focused awards bodies, but Oscar recognition seems unlikely despite its clear quality.