The world is often cruel to those who are different. Whether the difference comes from a physical trait, a mental capability or general societal standing (to name but three), there has always been a great difficulty visited on those who cannot easily exist as part of "normal" society. Take the subjects of the film White Shadow: albinos. Due to a physical difference beyond their control, people with albinism can find themselves the regular target of discrimination and abuse by those around them. However, in certain parts of East Africa, the cruelty visited upon the members of the region's albino populace is brutal and horrific.
There are two ways that previously established artists of any discipline can go when first calling the shots on a film: they either tread carefully, wary of over-reaching on their first time out, resulting in a visual style that is perhaps too conservatively drawn; or they throw themselves into the visual potential of the craft now at their command, moving the camera, experimenting with tone, taking risks with their film. In White Shadow, Deshe firmly sets himself in the latter of the two camps. Deshe's film often wanders between a rugged, gritty style of camerawork and moments that are impressionist, bordering on surrealistic. Opening on images of clouds, two white arms swaying across the screen, a voiceover telling us how it would be to fly, it's a dreamy way to open a film that will quickly become marked by brutality.
Deshe's juxtaposition of such conflicting aspects of filmic tone actually does come to serve the material. In its moments of quiet Impressionism, Deshe highlights the dreams of escape for Alias and his similarly afflicted friends, as well as the sense of superstitious fervour that permeates the culture in which they live. Its use also serves to both create a sense of cultural alienation for outsiders looking in and heighten the impact of the violence strewn throughout the film.
There are times when Deshe's filmmaking methods do act against him, though. The film's focus too often drifts from subject to subject, losing momentum on the immediate story in favour of what can seem rather indulgent forays into artsy form that, though they make sense, still feel like they're dragging attention away. And at two hours, the lack of a tight focus really does start to drag the film down, which it really shouldn't do given that it's clearly something worth telling, and is on a subject that is really only just gaining focus in the past few years.
White Shadow is a harsh film, shining a light on a terrible reality for East Africa's albino population, and making a firm stance against the violent evil inspired by superstition and ritual. However, the discomfort of the realities presented in the film are often undercut by the unfocused direction, making it more of a slog than you feel it should be. It's a bold first film for Deshe, both in style and content, so it will certainly be interesting to see what he produces next.
White Shadow is screening at the East End Film Festival at Hackney Picturehouse on the 18th of July. Buy tickets here!