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Angola · 2022
1h 38m
Director Ery Claver
Starring Cláudia Púcuta, David Caracol, Willi Ribeiro, Meili Li
Genre Drama
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One day, a merchant from China comes to Luanda bearing a strange plastic figure of a holy icon, Our Lady. The arrival of the merchant with this figure affects the townspeople, as a grieving mother will seek closure, a haircutter will begin a cult, and a homeless child will seek vengeance for his friend.
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British Film Institute by Annabel Bai Jackson
The debut feature from Angolan director Ery Claver deftly boils down the knotty politics of China’s gnawing influence over Angola into the story of one merchant’s opportunism. But its panoply of styles and modes lacks discipline.
In his feature debut, Ery Claver appears determined to provide his audience with a window into the streets, homes, and complex politics of Luanda, supplying the audience a glimpse of reality within a story all about imagination and hope. Our Lady of The Chinese Shop is undoubtedly an allegorical film about colonialism, full of contrasts and contradictions which mirror Luanda’s own conflicts with its past. It combines vibrancy with silence, desolation with dreams, and resentment and pain with prayer.
There is a distinctive beauty and a boldness to the filmmaking which reaffirms Angola as a country to watch when it comes to new voices in African cinema.
The Africa Report by Wilfred Okiche
The 5th most notable African film of 2022, Ery Claver’s fascinating feature length debut is a modern-day allegory that has a lot to say about colonial traumas, imperialism, religion and national malaise.