Hyenas (1992 film)

Hyenas (French: Hyènes) is a 1992 Senegalese film adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's Swiss-German satirical tragicomedy play The Visit (1956),^[1] directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty. The intimate story of love and revenge parallels a critique of neocolonialism and African consumerism. It was entered into the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.^[2]

Hyenas
film poster
Directed by	Djibril Diop Mambéty
Written by	Djibril Diop Mambéty
Based on	The Visit (1956 play) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Produced by	Pierre-Alain Meier Alain Rozanès
Starring	Ami Diakhate
Cinematography	Matthias Kälin
Edited by	Loredana Cristelli
Music by	Wasis Diop
Distributed by	California Newsreel Productions
Release date	18 September 1992 (1992-09-18) (TIFF)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	Senegal
Language	Wolof

Plot

Hyenas tells the story of Linguere Ramatou, an aging, wealthy woman who revisits her home village of Colobane. Linguere offers a disturbing proposition to the people of Colobane and lavishes luxuries upon them to persuade them. This embittered woman, "as rich as the World Bank", will bestow upon Colobane a fortune in exchange for the murder of Dramaan Drameh, a local shopkeeper who abandoned her after a love affair and her illegitimate pregnancy when she was seventeen.

Cast

• Ami Diakhate as Linguère Ramatou
• Djibril Diop Mambéty as Gaana
• Mansour Diouf as Dramaan Drameh
• Calgou Fall as the priest
• Faly Gueye as Mme. Drameh
• Mamadou Mahourédia Gueye as the Mayor
• Issa Ramagelissa Samb as the professor

Critical response

Critical response to the film was mostly positive. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 91% of critics gave the film positive reviews. Hyenas was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.^[2]

• "A timeless story...The strong story line and fine ensemble acting provide a faster, more easily assimilated rhythm than many African films." - Variety
• "This pungent film adaptation's change of locale lends the tale a new political dimension...(Mambety) inflects the grim drama with an edge of carnival humor. This film carries a sting!" - The New York Times
• "This wicked tale, told with wit and irony, has all the ingredients of a crowd-pleaser." - The Village Voice
• "Funnier and warmer than Dürrenmatt ever dared to be but with the tale's bleak, ominous edges still in evidence." - New York Newsday