Moolaadé (2004)

In a remote west African village where battery operated radios and the occasional outside visitor are the only connections to the world beyond, one woman causes upheaval when she offers protection to four young girls who escape a genital mutilation ceremony against the wishes of the village elders. For such a dark, intense subject, the film does not get bogged down by bleakness. The village and its denizens are colorfully portrayed and fully realized with interactions and relationships that intertwine. But in the end, it doesn’t shy from presenting a thorough indictment of the practice and the necessity for change no matter the risk to the society built around it.