Charcoal Traffic

The first fictional film from Somalia in more than 15 years is based on true events. Set in today’s age of Kalashnikov assault rifles and cell phones, it has pathos reminiscent of an ancient Greek tragedy. Using an untrained local cast and a skeletal script, the filmmakers succinctly allegorize the environmental, cultural and humanitarian devastation that has beset their country. Charcoal Traffic deliberately intends to provoke dialogue between Somalians about the self-destructive perils of greed, corruption and ignorance. As with Greek tragedies, the themes of Charcoal Traffic are universal and timeless: It’s not a quantum leap from the northern Somalian desert to the mountaintops of Appalachia or the mesas of Colorado and Wyoming. —PK