Directed by: Rosine Mbakam
Distributed by: Icarus Films
Written by Michael Clawson
70/100
A portrait of quiet resilience in the face of adversity, “Mambar Pierrette” follows an impoverished seamstress as she’s dealt a series of misfortunes. On the cusp of a new school year in the Cameroonian city of Douala, Pierrette has her hands full: her clients are waiting on new school uniforms and dresses from her, Pierrette’s own children need school supplies, and her aging mother requires care. Pierrette is already stretched thin when problems begin arising one after another. First, her sewing machine breaks, then a rainstorm floods her home and workplace, her power goes out, and worst of all, she’s robbed of money she desperately needs. But despite her terrible luck, “Mambar Pierrette” never allows hardship to define its heroine. The film appreciates the distinction between Pierrette’s circumstances and who she is as a person, showing us both without the former overshadowing the latter.
Unhurried and observational, the film’s social realism reflects director Rosine Mbakam’s non-fiction background (“Mambar Pierrette” marks her first foray into narrative features after a string of documentaries). She sets the story’s pace to the cadence of everyday life, taking time to capture the quotidian stretches of Pierrette’s day. The camera’s framing is elegant, yet unobtrusive as it shows Pierrette perusing a market for fabric, maneuvering a needle while sewing, or scooping flood water from her home with a bowl. Despite the litany of setbacks that Pierrette must contend with, the film’s dramatic pitch remains unelevated; there’s no score, no flashy variation in visual style as Pierrette goes between humdrum daily activities and the discovery of some other new obstacle. Played with grace and dignity by Mbakam’s cousin, Pierrette Aboheu Njeuthat, Pierrette the character is drawn as a woman of talent, discipline, and grit. As her situation grows ever more precarious, her weariness is visible, but she never cries. Mbakam has too much respect for Pierrette as a laborer, mother, daughter, and community member to suggest that we should pity her.
“Mambar Pierrette” Trailer
Michael Clawson is a member of the Seattle Film Critic Society you can follow his passion for film on Letterboxd.