Benda Bilili!

Amazing. A garage documentary about a group of disabled Congolese homeless people who dreamed of a country called Europe and conquered it with their cutting street music five years later. The authors may not be the best documentary filmmakers, but the invalid and dirty form fantastically resonates with the content. Some moments are monumental and without a doubt more impressive than all the millionaires from third world shacks. This isn't about snot-nosed sentiment - it's the story of people who had a dream and a lot of luck. I don’t think I've ever been so moved by a similar idyll as when a bunch of ragged ghetto men rejoice in a burnt CD and repeat in an enchanted way: "It's beautiful." Benda Bilili! takes one into heaven without peeling his feet from the mud of the earth. One of the experiences of the year - including added value in the form of a distressing feeling as to whether this modern dream can only have good endings. (27/11/2010)