Very well made, well-performed. I wish that the writing had made some things a little clearer. When depicting a culture which is extremely different, it's important to vet the script with people who are not familiar with that culture so that things which are unclear can be elucidated by dropping clues in the script. Names were used liberally, which is great, so we never lost track of who was who. But it was confusing when Tierno's treatment of Ousmane was not consistent; I'm sure there was a reason, but had no idea why the variation. For example, [spoiler]why did he reject the marriage offer from Ousmane (because it would bring terrorists into town), then offer to cooperate and get Ousmane elected mayor so they could be imam and mayor together, and later go back to fighting the marriage? I would have liked to have seen some explanation on why Ousmane introduced terrorists into the village,[/spoiler] or was it the case that Ousmane was an outsider as well? This relationship between Ousmane and "the Sheik" should have been explored a bit.

[Ohlalà!] This family drama that shows the dangers of the spread in Africa of fundamentalist religions through small villages, is built on a narration that takes care of the characters, supported by a remarkable directing work, which is found in a cinematography by Sheldon Chau composed of chiaroscuro, the perfect representation of that complex dividing line between tradition and religious extremism.

Like attending a stranger's wedding, there's a lot going on behind the scenes that you don't know about and they don't party the way you do but their sincerity and efforts make you feel welcome, if not at home.