Review of the Documentary; Family Across the Sea
Scene 1: Arrival of the Gullah delegation in Sierra Leone.
This scene is set in a ‘dark airport’ as described by the narrator, Augusta Baker, where a crowd is gathered to receive the Gullah descendants, who are on a trip from South Carolina, USA, to Sierra Leone where they trace their roots to. The visitors are believed to be descendants of escaped slaves, and have managed to maintain their culture and way of life despite being thousands of miles away from home. In this reunion scene, there is happiness in the air, with traditional songs of joy being sung. This scene shows a ‘modern’ Gullah native in a dark suit and spectacles being received with joy and smiles.
Although the visitors and the natives alike appear happy and share light moments, the darkness of the airport limits the viewer from connecting with the joy surrounding the event, such that the emotion is only seen in a few faces.
Scene 2: Display of the way of life of the Sierra Leone natives.
In this scene, shots have been taken of a man fishing in a canoe, paintings, women weaving baskets, children playing and other traditional activities of the Gullah community. The fact that the Gullah community has embraced farming is evident from these shots. Coupled with very good narration and effective use of background music and clear shots, this scene managed to paint a clear picture of this community and the way they live their daily lives. Their traditions are depicted as strongly rooted. The order of life is shown as organized and not so different from the original way of life left behind by the forefathers of the visiting Gullah descendants.
Scene 3: Bunce Island
This is where the Gullah community lives. This island has been captured in this documentary with particular emphasis on the beautiful landscape. Slave yards have also been shown, where slaves were taken and forced to work in farms during the years of slavery. The story of Bunce Island has been developed in an impressive manner, with the video editing adding slow motion shots to good video quality, adding quality to the rich history that this island boasts. Shots of the salt marshes are some of the best in the documentary. The manner that this island has been capture speaks a great deal about the importance of this island to the natives, and in the production of this particular documentary.
