The 2021 Afrofuturist musical and Rwandan film “Neptune Frost” is a collection of mesmerizing visuals and sounds that work together to tell the story of those exploited by colonial powers.
On Feb. 22, Ragtag Cinema concluded their film series “Black Independents Vol. III” with the 2021 Rwandan film “Neptune Frost” – a sci-fi musical set in a post-war Burundi. The film triumphantly captures the disenfranchised peoples of colonized nations in the digital age.
The night commenced with a spoken word performance by student Cici Hernandez. Her voice was commanding yet endearing, as she recited three original poems covering various life experiences — from growing up in Kansas City, Mo., to being a witness to gun violence, to the importance of self-love, especially as a Black woman. Her poems juxtaposed the harsh realities that Black individuals face in society with sweet memories from her childhood.
Hernandez’s performance was followed by “Neptune Frost,” co-directed by American filmmaker Saul Williams and Rwandan filmmaker Anisia Uzeyman.
In the film, Burundi is controlled by an authoritative regime and exploited for its Coltan —a mineral that powers the electronics of the world
The film follows the protagonist, Neptune, an intersex hacker who partners with Matalusa — a fugitive miner who witnessed the martyring of his brother in the Coltan mines.
With atrocities in the Burundi capital as their exigence, Matalusa and Neptune take separate quests to find solace. Their paths converge in a dream-like sequence when they are visited by a mystical angel with wings made from bicycle wheels — a reference to the Black spiritual “Ezekiel saw the Wheel”. The angel tells them to “hack into the authority,” and draws them to an Afrofuturistic oasis called Digitaria.
The latter half of the film follows the rumblings of revolution. The villagers of Digitaria are frustrated by the exploitation of their country and their bodies in conquest of Coltan. Digitaria’s occupants band together to fight “The Authority”, a regime that enforces resource and bodily exploitation of the natives. The film does a remarkable job of contrasting Digitaria and Burundi through the characters. Matalusa and Neptune are initially more reserved but upon entering Digitaria they both become outspoken, charismatic revolutionaries, highlighting the oppressive and uplifting nature of both Burundi and Digitaria respectively.
Through poetic spirituals and raps that toss between English, French, Swahili and other native languages, the characters question the elements of the western-centric order that dominates their understanding of sexual identity, American hegemony and capitalism. Lyrics dance over bass-heavy tribal drums mixed with modern synths, pieces of a soundtrack that is entrancing and transports the viewer into this techno land free from the confines of oppression. The coverage of so many topics can be overwhelming leading to the dilution of the overall narrative of two outcasts joining forces to battle an oppressive regime. Furthermore, songs like “Mr.Google” consist of lofty anti-authority declarations that lack depth and confuse more than explain.
Between scenes where villagers are taking part in “fourth-dimensional libations,” Matalusa becomes the hacker Martyr Loser King — an obvious reference to Martin Luther King in a larger technological allegory of the civil rights movement. Instead of righteous speeches behind a podium, Martyr Loser King preaches on the dance floor encircled by fellow Coltan miners. He evades physical violence and employs cyber attacks instead, however, the vague hacking into the land rights and ownership of the Burundi people is largely left offscreen.
Visually, “Neptune Frost” is a gorgeous, vibrant film. Fluorescent blues, oranges and pinks dominate dream sequences and take the form of lines of code and TV static. The costumes are striking — Neptune dawns a metallic dress while Matalusa sports a jacket made from keyboards. The people of Digitaria are crowned with traditional hairstyles dyed in neon colors and their faces are adorned with jewels, computer chips and wires.
“Neptune Frost” covers an array of topics from religion to gender to workers’ rights while being focused on neo-colonization and the use of technology as a tool of oppression. The film reflects on how our increasingly technological world exploits the people who power it, doing so in a captivating way.
The narrative is loose and suggestive but the message of Neptune Frost is still clear and impactful. Through fantastical visuals and genre-bending music Neptune Frost serves as both a call to action to dismantle systems of oppression and hope for a better future.
Overall, “Neptune Frost” is truly a transcendental experience that will have you shouting, “Unanimous Goldmine” — the hacktivist’s all-purpose greeting and slogan — by the end.
Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Matt Guzman and Lauren Courtney