The restitution of the 26 royal treasures at the heart of Mati Diop’s Dahomey to their homeland of Benin is not only a return to their roots, but also an arrival into unchartered territory. They are artifacts of the African kingdom of Dahomey, a three-century long dynasty with vast powers and illustrious trade and a notorious army of Amazon women, the Agodjié (depicted in Gina Prince Bythewood’s The Woman King). Plundered in its waning days by a colonialist French empire, they are symbols of a distant past - of a country that has undergone seismic changes since. By positing them as the subject of Dahomey, Diop has crafted a transfixing, immersive documentary, taking us on the journey of these artifacts and the fascinating, complex questions on heritage and homecoming they elicit.

Diop established herself as an exciting directorial voice with her feature film debut Atlantics, which received the Grand Prix prize at Cannes among other accolades, and Dahomey has followed suit, winning the top prize of the Golden Bear at Berlin and having also been shortlisted for both the Best Documentary and Best International Film (Senegal) categories at the Academy Awards. In Atlantics, a group of construction workers lost at sea en route from Senegal to Spain return home in ghostly form. Dahomey is a fitting spiritual successor, also grappling with themes of postcolonialism and migration with a touch of the supernatural through its spiritual depiction of the statues. The textured, metallic voice constructed by sound designer Nicolas Becker and prose by Haitian author Makenzy Orcel, translated into the Beninese Fon language, gives the artifacts a voice that pulsates throughout the film alongside the gorgeous score by Wally Badarou and Dean Blunt, who integrate their Benin and Nigerian backgrounds into a rich musical tapestry. The atmosphere Diop creates is otherworldly, yet very tangible as we accompany the artifacts as they are released from imprisonment in French museums and embark on their journey to Cotonou, Benin.

The road home is a complicated one for the artifacts as they occupy the dark spaces of their crates transporting them to their homeland. ‘I journeyed so long in my mind, but it was so dark in this foreign place,’ the treasures’ voices intoned. Diop and DP Joséphine Drouin Viallard treat the treasures as characters within the narrative, framing them against their surroundings as migrants returning to an uncertain future, a world of the unknown and unfamiliar of this homeland they have long been removed from. There is excitement and catharsis to be found in observing the long overdue restitution of these treasures into their rightful spaces. And as we explore the new ‘home’ of their exhibition spaces in Benin, there is a captivating quality to watching the treasures being installed and assimilating themselves into the environment, making a new home for themselves. Drouin Viallard’s camera and the seamless editing of Gabriel Gonzalez help envelop us in the natural flow of this immersive and often transcendent experience. Equally important, however, is how Diop creates balance by also integrating the voices and perspectives of the Benin people with regards to these artifacts into the film - specifically that of the youth who carry with them the prospects of the future, and a unique scope with regards to the Benin’s past.

This aspect of the film takes center stage in a spirited debate between students at the University of Abomey-Calavi, captured by Diop with a real vividity as they discuss the topic of the restitution of artifacts stolen from Benin through French colonialism. The youth discuss the value these artifacts have and contemplate the place they have in their modern society. Some consider the return of the treasures as a small but notable step forward in progress, while others regard it as a mere surface-level gesture of diplomacy by the French government. Some regard the artifacts as an important, material part of their culture that will benefit from being exhibited in a museum setting, while others place more value on the immaterial, immutable aspects of their African heritage that have remained even as the material objects of their past have been plundered. It’s a brilliant sequence, the atmosphere further amplified by Diop’s choice to broadcast the debate over the campus radios to add to the weight of the discussion. She implores us not to make us take one side or the other, but to listen to these intelligent discussions and insightful voices of the youth.

Clocking in at just under 70 minutes, Dahomey is economical and efficient in its filmmaking yet never feels lacking in any respect. It gives a wonderfully coherent exploration of the complex situation involving the restitution of the artifacts, while also letting us linger with the treasures as they embody the deeply profound experience of returning to a homeland after a long absence. As the disembodied voices of the treasures wander and explore the beautiful nights of Benin through the beaches and streets, the power of Diop’s approach is most evident. Rather than simply informing or educating us, Diop has crafted a unique, idiosyncratic experience of displacement and homecoming, equally emotionally striking as it is intellectually engaging.

Movie Review: "Dahomey" Brings Artifacts To Light And Compelling Conversations To The Table