Another Day Of Life is the animated movie you show to anyone who does not like animated movies; or to those who think animation is exclusively the domain of children’s entertainment. The cel-shaded film chronicles the real-life three-month trip of the Polish Press Agency’s only correspondent in war-torn Africa, Ryszard Kapuściński (Kerry Shale) as he travels to the south of Angola.
It is 1975, and the West African country is embroiled in a revolution. Natives and their supporters are tired of the oppressive rule of the Portuguese Empire. Seeing as how the Cold War is ramping up, both the United States and the USSR have stakes in the outcome as well. As such, Angola is the latest chess match between the two superpowers. Polish, as Kapuściński is often referred to, is covering the revolution.
But, he feels like he is missing out on the real story by being nowhere near the front lines. To that end, Polish enlists every contact he can to take him there. He reaches the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and sees horrors the likes he has never encountered. Being moved by the injustices and brutality all around him, he agrees to help.
“…chronicles the real-life three-month trip of the Polish Press Agency’s only correspondent in war-torn Africa…”
Kapuściński’s work is a bit controversial in journalistic circles, as he dabbled in what is called “literary reportage.” That is when one spins a yarn to be as entertaining, fanciful even, in a way that speaks to the true nature of what has happened. While this style still conveys the facts, it is not as honest, nor as clear, as the more traditional method of reporting. Directors Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow, and their co-writers Amalia Remirez, Niall Johnson, and David Weber, based on Ryszard Kapuściński’s book, have created a spellbinding documentary that utilizes similar flourishes.
Did I forget to mention that Another Day Of Life is an animated recreation documentary, interspersed with recent live-action interviews? During intense, or emotionally heavy moments, of the film, the animation gets surreal. Kapuściński’s fingers become entangled with the keys on a typewriter, bullet shells are immune to gravity and float every which way, and snapshots of the dying morph into one. The visuals will make your jaw hit the floor with wonder.
"…an animated recreation documentary, interspersed with recent live-action interviews"
