Black Girl (1966) review

Sad title character gets abused by her French 'owners' in this flaccid critique of slavery - her misery builds up until she kills herself in the bathtub (and then ... the end!). While the film depicts a very real and very sad situation, the film is gloriously one-dimensional, as the 'black girl' cannot read or write, rarely (if ever) speaks and is unable to properly defend herself against her oppressor - it's like watching a street thug wail on a cripple. It lacks the nuance of Mouchette or Rosetta - instead of walking away enlightened, I was merely annoyed by Sembène's lack of complexity.