Ep. 277: Black Girl

This week, we discuss the influential 1966 Senegalese film "Black Girl," written and directed by Ousmane Sembene. The film follows a Senegalese young woman who works as a nanny for a white French family whose life turns into a nightmare when she accompanies them back to France and is forced to work as a maid.

Topics include the film's overt postcolonial politics, its thoughtful deployment of production design and costumes, its reception in the west, and more.

You can support us on Patreon here. Overinvested merch is available here.

Links

“Black Girl: Self, Possessed,” Ashley Clark, Criterion

“Screen: 2 From Senegal: Feature and Short Are at the New Yorker,” A.H. Weller, The New York Times

“Introduction to Black Girl,” Rahul Hamid, Senses of Cinema