Tiara Richards, Everon Jackson Hooi, Felix de Rooy
Set on Curaçao in the Lesser Antilles, Dutch director Eché Janga’s award-winning coming-of-age story (the Netherlands’ entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards) is laced with magical realism and follows a headstrong 11-year-old girl who is determined to find her own path into adulthood.
Kenza (Tiara Richards) lives on a junkyard in rural Curaçao with her father Ouira (Everon Jackson Hooi) and grandfather Weljo (Felix de Rooy). The two are polar opposites – Ouira a highly rational police officer, while Weljo identifies with the island’s ancient spirits. As tensions between them escalate, Kenza searches for a way between their two extremes, calling on a connection to her past.
Drawing on Janga’s personal heritage – Dutch Caribbean island Curaçao is his father’s native land – Buladó is a delicate and thoughtful drama that beautifully explores the haunting effects of its protagonist’s personal and ancestral past.
