I am constantly looking for films set in colonial times. For some reason they are very rare. But I found one yesterday on Netflix. 'Palm Trees in the Snow' It was a lovely romantic drama set in Equatorial Guinea [not Guinea Conakry, and not Guinea Bissau]
imdb.com/title/tt320220…
imdb.com/title/tt320220…
It's a Spanish film of a book. Very moving story. Good acting and exceptionally beautiful visually. [I would watch it for the visuals only]. Also good music. So generally, I would recommend it. Please watch it if you have Netflix or other access to it. Want to know thoughts. But-
There a few things. For a film set in Equatorial Guinea, we hear very little from Equatorial Guineans. All the scenes are focused on the foreigners. Despite this being a love story, even the poster does not centre the heroine. Erasure and gaze are deployed here. 
The BM are largely depicted as aggressive, hypersexed and mute. Mosi (who is a key part of the love triangle), hardly says one word in the whole nearly 3-hour movie. In contrast, did dastardly Jacobo really need that much screen time? Gustavo, who seems to be the resident...
...nationalist has barely any words. We know that the Spaniards are fearful of the political change of independence, but what about the perspectives of E. Guineans? Yes, it is a love story, but there was enough room to humanise the story IMO. I would have loved to hear more of..
Bisila's thoughts. What does she see in Kilian? Also the oversexualisation of interracial encounters in the movie worried me a bit. Julia & Manuel for e.g. don't get the same treatment. There was some misogynoir going on there with the gaze on Bisila's body...
She was undressed for a large part of the movie. A hint of fetishization and exotification seemed to be in play. She lacked agency quite a lot, not always by choice but... watch it. I am trying to avoid spoilers.
One thing that completely jarred was the dubbed voices of BP. Without exception they all spoke with Af-Am accents. ALL OF THEM. It was so incongruous that I found it difficult to concentrate on what they were saying. Close your eyes you may be watching Atlanta.. or something
Still I recommend and if you know of any similar set movies. Let me know.
Could you unroll please and thank you
