AllMovie

Two parts magical drama and one part straight documentary, this outing from famed ethnographic filmmaker Jean Rouch is set somewhere in Nigeria near a small village. Much of the action takes place beside a talking Gao-beri tree that grows nearly horizontal to the ground because it is tired of standing and needs to lie down. Three old friends, Damoure, Lam and Tallou meet there. Following the chatty Gao-beri tree's example, they too stretch out to rest and converse. The country around them suffers from a drought and the tree asks them to perform a dance to call upon the god of thunder and ask for some rain. The story then jumps to the village to record the various dances and rainmaking rituals. At this time, different villagers tell many legends.