Bienvenue Marly-Gomont (2016)

September 28, 2021 5:04 AM

(The African Doctor) The story of Seyolo Zantoko, who as a freshly graduated doctor of Congolese descent in France, struggled with his family to integrate in a small rural village, and ended up being considered as one of the most respected doctors in the area.

This movie, based on a true story, is billed as a comedy and a drama. It’s light hearted but pretty heavy. French with subtitles.

posted by gt2 (3 comments total)

(The title is actually Bienvenue à Marly-Gomont but the character didn’t translate in the title)
posted by gt2 at 5:06 AM on September 28, 2021

Here is the original rap song Marly-Gomont, by Kamini, the doctor's son. The clip, shot in 2006 for about € 100, features his friends in the titular village. The song went viral and Kamini's family story was later turned into a movie.
posted by elgilito at 5:55 AM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]

I just watched this one, and it's pretty enjoyable. It really goes in for broad comedic strokes to dramatize the story; feels like it started out as a family legend told to the kids. (By comparison, Bienvenue chez les ch'tis is more nuanced.) Although the locals start out super nasty and ignorant, they turn around eventually, so it has a feel-good ending. There's a lot of good images of rural Picardy, which is a pretty unknown part of France for foreigners, and while it doesn't make me want to visit I'm glad I got to know more about the area.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 12:03 AM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]