“Faya Dayi” creates a spiritual experience that plays with the senses and marvels audiences with its beautiful cinematography.
Ragtag Cinema screened the film Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., although the film debuted Jan. 30, 2021.
The documentary film reveals the true impact of khat, a flowering plant used to make a stimulant drug, in the lives of khat traders and other Ethiopians. Khat is Ethiopia’s most lucrative crop and is used during religious meditations and rituals. The plant works as a stimulant and causes a feeling of euphoria. In the city of Harar, residents are stuck in the haze of the drug and its chaos.
The overwhelming tension and feelings of hopelessness further push the idea that khat has dominated the lives of the city people and influenced their thinking. No matter the age or experience, khat affects everyone in the film. Children and teens share their desire to escape from the grasp of khat and the cropping work. Elders recite religious stories and sing religious hymns. The film makes khat’s heavy hand in the culture very clear.
“Faya Dayi” uniquely utilizes visuals instead of words. A majority of the documentary contains noise and visuals instead of direct commentary and dialogue. Spoken messages from residents are scattered throughout. However, these quotes are random and do not mention khat or points the documentary emphasizes. This could be difficult for an audience member looking for the traditional experience.
Yet audiences can appreciate the immaculate shots and various sounds. Visuals of smoke, water, residents staring off into the abyss and khat croppers tending to the plants repeat throughout the film with the occasional new visual to tell a story without words. Crunching noises, singing, matches igniting and chewing noises contribute to this as well.
These elements are so admirable and hypnotizing to experience despite how ordinary they may sound. After all, the visuals and noise carry the documentary. They have to be near perfect, and they are. “Faya Dayi” is commendable for its inventive style of storytelling.
The film takes full advantage of the audiences’ senses through relying on sight and sound. Viewers have to put together the meaning for themselves in ways they may not have in other documentaries. The exceptional cinematography invites them to experience the haze in Ethiopia for themselves.
“Faya Dayi” also masters the ambience of each moment and sets the tone to guide interpretations. When an elder recites a story about being saved or another tale, the atmosphere turns spiritual through the visuals of smoke, darkness and sounds of wind and nature. When young khat croppers share dreams of freedom from the work, the audience sees never-ending khat fields, khat croppers working and little kids playing in a pond.
The symbolism in each moment and the gentle hand for audiences to grasp the message themselves is truly inventive. From sound bite to sound bite, the atmosphere and tone agrees with what they say. Regardless of whether the bite applies to the story or is a random thought, the audience gets to feel what Ethiopia is experiencing and the true impact of khat.
For someone looking for the average documentary with consistent commentary and a straightforward plot, this may not be the documentary for you. “Faya Dayi” cannot be more different than these traditional expectations. The film may be difficult to understand or off-putting for audience members who anticipate the standard model documentaries adorn. Yet the individual can appreciate what “Faya Dayi” means for the future of documentary filmmaking.
The final showing of “Faya Dayi” at True/False Film Festival will be 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Showtime Amphitheater.
_Edited by Elise Mulligan | emulligan@themaneater.com_
