Lust, greed and everything in-between

VIVA RIVA is a fast-paced action thriller starring Patsha Bay as Riva— a jolly thug who loves the good times. The film begins with his return home to Kinshasa from neighbouring Angola with a truck full of crude oil making him an overnight “fat cat.” This man, who left his home years earlier as a renowned hustler returns richer and ready to indulge in life’s debauchery. Unbeknownst to him, danger is quick on his heels as Riva’s former gang lands in town claiming that he stole their oil. They are searching for two things: Riva’s head and their petroleum, intact.

The movie is set in the underbelly of the streets, clubs and pubs of Kinshasa. Throughout the film, Riva does very little to protect himself. Instead, he is caught up in an insatiable desire for the hard-to-get Nora, girlfriend to local gang boss Azor.

It has to be said that this Arthouse flick is peppered with numerous and raw sex scenes, hence the PG 18 rating. That aside, the film represents a modern crop of African films that focus on the actual goings on on African soil and speaks through authentic African characters. This cause is further aided by having the entire cast conversing in both French and Lingala. The film received 12 nominations and won six awards at the 7^th African Movie Awards 2011 in Nigeria.

VIVA RIVA is showing at Starflix cinema, Village Market till mid November.

Cast: Patsha Bay, Manie Malone, Hoji Fortuna, Marlene Longage, Alex Herabo and Diplôme Amekindra. Director: Djo Tunda Wa Munga. Producers: Michaël Goldberg, Steven Markovitz, Djo Tunda Wa Munga and Boris Van Gils

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