Touki Bouki (Journey of the Hyena)

Critics Consensus

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Movie Info

Two youngsters attempt to escape what they perceive to be the poverty and backwardness of their native Senegal. In this movie, a boy (Magaye Niang) and a girl (Mareme Niang) try to gather the funds and connections to enable them to move to France. They believe they will find better wages and a better life there. The boy engages in a number of petty thefts to finance his ambitions but in the end cannot leave without a fetish amulet which he has lost somewhere. The girl fares better. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Art House & International, Drama
Directed By:

Djibril Diop Mambéty
In Theaters:

Jan 1, 1973 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Sep 6, 2005
Runtime:

95 minutes
Studio:

Criterion Collection

Cast

Magaye Niang
as Mory

Mar_me Niang
as Anta

Critic Reviews for Touki Bouki (Journey of the Hyena)

All Critics (8) | Top Critics (2) | DVD (1)

Mr. Mambety mixes neo-realism and fantasy to create a mood of unease and aimless longing. The performances are good.

Apr 2, 2005 | Rating: 3/5

Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic
This 1973 first feature by Senegalese director Djibril Diop Mambety is one of the greatest of all African films and almost certainly the most experimental.

Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…

Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic
...a work of potent postcolonial commentary.

Apr 15, 2019 | Full Review…

Adam Nayman
The Ringer
The last act of this film will blow your mind. It reaches the condition of a music video.

Aug 22, 2018 | Full Review…

Charles Mudede
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
an edgy, energetic ode to youthful idealism and rebellion molded quite clearly on the rough-hewn vibrancy of various European New Waves, particularly the works of Jean-Luc Godard

Jan 29, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
The final moments here, which simultaneously suggest a return to traditionalism and a new form of globalized alienation, offer open-ended ruminations on Senegal's future role in the world.

Aug 18, 2012 | Rating: 77/100 | Full Review…

Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com
The film does itself proud with its fantasy images.

Aug 31, 2009 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

View All Critic Reviews (8)

Audience Reviews for Touki Bouki (Journey of the Hyena)

May 14, 2014

Sometimes hailed as a lost classic, "Touki Bouki" walks a shaky line between charming naivete and sheer technical ineptitude. The pacing is off -- certain scenes last far too long. The exposition is muddled. Ditto for the wobbly use of flashbacks. Two quirky songs are woefully overused in the score. The narrative is disjointed and sometimes defies logic. Still, this Senegalese tale of a girl, a boy, his motorcycle (memorably decorated with an ox skull) and their dream of escaping to Paris likably captures a moment in an intriguing, seldom seen culture. Put this on a double bill with "The Harder They Come" and enjoy a period taste of Third World exotica.

Eric B Super Reviewer
Oct 26, 2011

An avant-garde and groundbreaking Senegal masterpiece about ambition and alienation. The breathtaking landscapes and the perfect role of nature contrast the savage dreams of an inconformist low class seeking for the unreachable. How ironic that modern urban civilization usually represents the neoliberal troubles of humanity and here, in Touki Bouki, morally incorrect actions seem to be the easiest path to a "paradise" that is strongly longed for. 99/100

Edgar C Super Reviewer
May 26, 2009

a film from senegal all about a young man's scheming and dreaming of immigrating to paris. the narrative is messy but there are some great images here. this is one of the 'lost' films restored by scorsese's world cinema foundation. a few of these can now be streamed for free on the auteurs site in the u.s.

Stella D Super Reviewer