‘Black Tea’ Review – Abderrahmane Sissako Returns with a Masterful Exploration of Cultural Identity | Berlinale 2024

Director Abderrahmane Sissako (the Oscar-nominated Timbuktu) returns after a 10-year hiatus with Black Tea, a sublime and meaningful exploration of cultural identity, freedom and growing globalisation, that just premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. The wait for Sissako’s next feature was worth it given how everything is superbly executed with some of the finest filmmaking and performances of the year.

On the day of her wedding, Aya (Nina Mélo) bravely rejects her disloyal Ivorian fiancée to pursue a new life away from the shackles of her hometown. After an undetermined period, we pick up with Aya who lives in Guangzhou, China. She has perfected her Chinese, has many local friends and works at a traditional Chinese tea shop, where she works under the instruction of Cai (Han Chang). 

Romance blossoms as the two get closer as Cai teaches Aya the art of the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. But for their relationship to work, they must face up to their past and try to live in the present by releasing the constraints of who they once were. Cai has a complicated family as he used to own a restaurant in Africa, where he cheated on his wife and had a child with a local whom he’s never seen since relocating back to Asia. That was twenty years ago. Aya left her family and friends behind to pursue a more free life, she must face her past choices to be truly happy.

If you live in a diverse Metropolis like London or New York City, you naturally don’t think too much about the cultural differences between person to person. Everyone is from everywhere, it’s normal. But in small towns or more isolated countries, where diversity is lacking, it’s a big deal when the community begins to shift as globalisation continues to grow. A character cleverly says “we are making new silk roads” to their disapproving grandparents who resent the cultural changes happening to their city. In Sissako’s film, he tenderly explores such themes by focusing on a  Guangzhou district known as “Chocolate City” which has a large community of African locals who have moved to China. Nina Mélo’s protagonist has swiftly assimilated into Chinese traditions, while others find it harder to fit in and create a new story for themselves away from home.

The film is slow and tenderly told, without a doubt this is the work of a master filmmaker in complete control of his craft. Working with top actors who deliver sublime and subtle performances, obviously, helps but the delicate way they act is clearly Sissako’s touch. The pace never feels too slow, it meanders along at a reasonable speed as we dive deeper into Aya’s new world. The editing is sleek and stylish, standing out with an incredible montage of fades at the beginning as Aya ventures away from Africa. This unconventional transition is dizzying, yet artful as a way to show the progression of time.

The film is out-of-this-world stunning, almost everything that cinematographer Aymerick Pilarski shoots is in an observational way as if we are peering into their lives, watching from a close and intimate distance. Intimacy is so vital here as the romance is never explicit, it’s tender and gentle in the way their relationship blossoms. Through the sacred act of tea making, pouring and serving, the close-up nature of those scenes is subtly cosy and loving. The lighting is majestic and the lensing is phenomenal, the tea field shots are serene, and every shot is beautifully composed and a joy to watch. 

Nina Mélo is delightful to watch, she plays Aya with a tact and heart. Delivering every line with authenticity and fluency, also her language skills are extremely impressive. Mélo is a true talent that has an exciting career ahead. Chang plays Cai with a calming presence, it’s easy to get lost in the almost seductive art of tea making which he perfectly plays. The defining factor of why the whole cast comes across as so good is ultimately down to the direction, Sissako is in full control with every aspect of the film.

Most of Black Tea focuses on Mélo’s Aya as she lives her dream, and it works very well. There is a segment in the middle that takes Chang’s Cai away from China to see his now-20-year-old daughter who is a beautiful mix of her Asian father and African mother. This segment stood out to me as a Chinese person with a mixed background as it doesn’t matter where you live or how you were raised, you will always be embraced by your community despite sometimes feeling out of place as a mixed person. It’s a lovely message.

There is a high chance that next year if Black Tea is seen by enough people, that we could be talking about Abderrahmane Sissako’s second Oscar nominated international feature film. Surely one of the film’s many international partners will submit this sublime film as part of their country’s Oscar representation. It’s always a joy to be in the hands of a master director as they steer everything with such care and purpose. Black Tea is truly remarkable and has a message that will connect to audiences all around the world.

Rating: A

This review is from the 74th Berlin Film Festival where Black Tea world premiered in Competition.