Djo Tunda Wa Munga/Democratic Republic of the Congo 2010/98 mins/NC 18+
Showing as part of Glasgow Film Festival @ Cineworld, 18th-19th February
To say that Congolese cinema has been finally put on the map by Viva Riva! downplays the fact that the Democratic Republic of Congo has been rather preoccupied with war for over a decade – and not just a few internecine scuffles but actually the biggest conflict on earth, claiming over five million lives since 1998. For the Congolese, film-making has most likely been a rather low priority lately. Given these circumstances, director Djo Munga is a genuine film-making hero, who after a number of years working in the European film industry has returned home to set up his own film production company, training up other Congolese people, as well as shooting his first feature, Viva Riva! on location in the chaotic, bustling, rubbish-strewn streets of Kinshasa.
Following the exploits of Riva as he returns to Kinshasa from Angola with a stolen consignment of petrol he intends to sell with the cooperation of local criminals, we enter a world where everyone is on the hustle and life isn’t so much cheap as worth half-nothing. Things get more complicated as the cocksure Riva falls for the feisty Nora, the mistress of a feared gang boss. Sexually explicit and brutally violent with convincing performances all round, Viva Riva! is a pacey and visceral experience. However, the main problem with using the gangster genre is the lack of context it allows; while Munga’s desire to tell a gritty tale that hasn’t been told before is commendable, to an outsider it might feel like just another thriller in an exotic location. Riva himself is an intriguing character but is only so much the (anti-)hero because he’s not any worse than anyone else, he’s still unsympathetic and it’s hard to truly care about any of the characters. Unfortunately, this leaves us detached from the terrible things that happen throughout. But in spite of its flaws, Viva Riva! is an impressive work and marks Munga as a talent to watch.