I saw On Becoming A Guinea Fowl at TCFF last October, and it’s one I kept thinking about even months afterward. I’ve included it in my top 10 fave female-directed movies of 2024 

I’ve always loved films that offer a glimpse of a culture I’m not familiar with. Zambian writer/director Rungano Nyoni delivers a raw look at a family struggling with the pressure to maintain a facade where hypocrisy and greed run rampant. The movie starts with something quite shocking but done in a whimsical tone. A young woman named Shula is driving in the dead of night on a deserted road and stumbles upon her uncle’s dead body. Her deadpan expression makes the scenario quite amusing.

At the funeral, Shula and her cousins begin to uncover the hidden secrets of their middle-class Zambian family. It’s pretty obvious from the start that Uncle Fred (Roy Chisha) is not a nice guy. As we learn more, especially from Shula’s cousin, Bupe, it becomes clear just how disturbing his actions really were. His body was found close to a brothel, and it seems like the locals are aware of it but aren’t fazed by it at all. There’s a striking contrast between the real Fred and how he’s described in his eulogy.

Nyoni also addresses the hideous systemic misogyny, where the men in Shula’s family seem to expect the women to cater to their needs. It really illustrates a patriarchal society where guys dodge their responsibilities, and some women just look the other way. Shula’s aunties tell her not to say anything about the abuse, and even Shula’s chat with her dad shows that he isn’t bothered by the misconducts happening in the family.

This is British-Zambian actress Susan Chardy’s debut role, and I find her quite captivating in her reserved performance. Shula remains calm and composed even as her cousin Nsansa (Elizabeth Chisela) is screaming at her from outside her car window. It helps to know that Nyoni uses a metaphor of a bird that is native to Africa, the Guinea fowl, in her narrative. There’s a flashback when the characters are learning the alphabet, and the letter G refers to this particular bird. Guinea fowls are known in the wild for their knack for warning other animals about nearby predators. Once I realized that, it hit me how clever the film title is, and the story clicked even more for me.

I appreciate that Nyoni refrains from spoon-feeding the viewers with over-expositions, unlike many established Western filmmakers who tend to over-explain things to the detriment of the film. That said, I was really puzzled by some things, and I still can’t figure out what the flood represents. That’s just one of the surrealistic elements of the movie. The pace can be slow at times, but the playful vibe helps break the tension. There are a few funny bits thrown in as Nyoni is keenly aware that humor is a great way to make a pointed observation.

Overall, this is a fantastic sophomore effort from Nyoni, whose debut feature, I Am Not a Witch, won a BAFTA. On Becoming A Guinea Fowl delivers a sharp critique in a tight 99 minutes, loaded with thought-provoking ideas. It’s excellent on a technical level, with evocative cinematography by David Gallego and an appropriately unsettling score by Lucrecia Dalt. I’m glad I got to see this on the big screen, and hopefully, more people will see this now that A24 has picked it up for distribution.

Have you seen On Becoming A Guinea Fowl? I’d love to hear what you think!

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