His father is called Camara Laye, which is no accident, of course. Clichéd images of Africa are soon destroyed when this young mixed-race Frenchman turns up in Guinea to find his father. The bitter meeting takes place after a mysterious wait, which takes on the form of a kind of protection, an initiation into the violence of relationships in situations of poverty. The magnificent essay Immatriculation temporaire is essentially a gaze. The town and its inhabitants are the object of a meeting – that of a silent but determined man and those who host him – a troubled milieu, a kingdom of wheeling and dealing and nightclubs. Fofana (who plays the leading role) recreates the ambiance already evoked in his magnificent Temedy in a desire to capture the behind-the-scenes, the night ambiances, the day-to-day settings and the disillusion. Silences and glances speak realms about expectations and incertitude and certain discreet things are only filmed through a curtain. For this gaze deeply respects its subject and never abuses it. The image hugs bodies and places, the camera is carried on the shoulder in the movements from place to place, the frame plays on the lines, shadows, silhouettes, and lights to convey the unease this son experiences as he seeks an absent father and an Africa that escapes him. In order to become part of the surrounding environment, he has to accompany John Kra and Sylla on a job that ends up going wrong. « All cats rummage in bins, but only careless cats fall in » goes the Fulani proverb and, of course, things turn out for the worst
