16/11/2023 - Elvis Ngaibino Sabin’s sophomore feature is an intimate portrait of a couple who share a disease, fearing society’s judgement and stigmatisation

One of the very few filmmakers active and trained in the Central African Republic, Elvis Ngaibino Sabin is back at IDFA with his sophomore feature, The Burden. On this occasion, the helmer chooses to home in on two subjects who are very close to him – his cousin Rodrigue and his wife Reine, who live with their three children in Bangui, the country’s capital.

Rodrigue and Reine make a living from a meagre yield of cassava flour and are very active at the local Protestant church. During every gathering, a battle between God and Satan takes centre stage. Evil spirits, curses and witchcraft are part of their everyday language, and are still important elements making up their set of beliefs. Beneath the surface, however, the couple shares a big secret (the titular “burden”), as they both have AIDS.

With this engaging documentary, Ngaibino Sabin focuses on the harsh life of a couple being consumed by their condition, who live in a country where, for some, AIDS is still seen as a form of divine punishment. The director (here also serving as the project’s cinematographer) follows the couple with a rather classical – yet effective – observational approach, offering viewers the right level of intimacy. The subjects are free to be themselves in front of the camera, and we don’t feel as if we’re invading too much of their personal space.

Throughout the picture, we will gradually witness how the signs of their condition will become more and more visible, in particular for Rodrigue. In parallel, despair seems to slowly take over, forcing the devout couple to cling to prayers and miracles. It’s also impressive when we realise how every small stroke of luck is seen as a divine blessing, while every setback is viewed as a punishment. This unstable state of mind causes them to languish between hope, fear and shame.

In purely narrative terms, the documentary gets even more intriguing when Rodrigue is offered the position of assistant pastor, which makes his inner conflict plain to see on screen. In detail, we can see how the man is torn between accepting this “call of God”, being asked to guide his church, and understanding whether he is really worthy of this task owing to the punishment he is enduring.

In the background, the COVID-19 pandemic makes things even more complicated, as antiretroviral drugs are getting harder and harder to find, and a rumour is spreading that HIV-positive people will die if they get vaccinated against the virus.

All in all, Ngaibino Sabin’s sophomore feature is a hard-hitting viewing experience. It’s a documentary about pain and powerlessness, which reminds the audience how old biases and beliefs are yet to disappear, cursing the unlucky victims twofold.

The Burden was produced by makongo films (Central African Republic), and co-produced by Les Films de l'œil sauvage (France), Kiripi Films (Democratic Republic of Congo), Barbel Mauch Filmproduktion (Germany), Start (Italy) and CANAL+ (France). French firm Andana Films is selling the documentary worldwide.