Educational Media Reviews Online

An Opera of the World is a documentary film about migration and immigrant experiences. The film is inspired by classical mythology, real-life migrations, experiences of immigrants, and the African opera, Bintou Were, (which tells the story of a female former child solider, who is pregnant by an unknown man, and facing many challenges as she seeks to immigrate to Europe).

This film does not follow a traditional narrative style. Instead, the filmmakers juxtapose footage of three main types: actual images and video from historical and recent real-life migrations; excerpts from related discussions with various artists, intellectuals, and activists; and moving scenes from the 2007 live production of Bintou Were, in Bamako, Mali. The opera itself provides both an exploration of the immigrant experience and examples of contemporary Malinese operatic performance, with a plot and characters reflective of the central questions raised in this film.

An Opera of the World is a worthwhile film. It provides viewers with opportunities to consider the immigrant experience from various perspectives and invites the exploration of themes of welcome, acceptance, rejection, hope, despair, and xenophobia. It is presented mainly in English, with English subtitles used as needed for non-English speech included throughout. It contains descriptions and footage of immigrants in peril and is best suited for audiences of high school age and older. The film is likely to be of greatest interest to those in the fields of immigration, intercultural communication, and opera, as well as those in the fields of African studies, dance, and music.