Moi un noir / Ja černoch / I, a Negro
fiction / 1959 / France / col. / 78 min.
Director: Jean Rouch
Screenplay: Jean Rouch
Photography: Jean Rouch
Editor: Marie-Joseph Yoyotte, Catherine Dourgnon
Music: Joseph Degre
Cast: Oumarou Ganda, Petit Touré, Alassane Maiga, Amadou Demba, Seydou Guedé, Karidyo Daoudou, Gambi
French documentary re-enactment titled I, a Negro depicts the lives of three young black immigrants in the city of Abidjan, who have left behind their home villages on the banks of Niger in pursuit of a modern, big-city life. However, it is by no means easy to find a steady job – more often than not, they do occasional day labor for a living. Each new day brings a new struggle to find work. However, even despite these harsh conditions, these young black men never lose their resilient exuberance. Saturdays and Sundays are the two days worth living for. During the weekends, they attempt to achieve what they have dreamt up throughout the week, however in vain. Not even failures keep them from believing that one day, they will break the chain of misfortune and achieve the long-desired success. (source: Filmový přehled)