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Oka! Amerikee

Play trailer Poster for Oka! Amerikee Released Oct 14, 2011 1h 46m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
An American ethnomusicologist lives among Africa's Bayaka Pygmies for 25 years.

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Michael O'Sullivan Washington Post It's a pleasant, if slow-moving, trip down a lazy river. Rated: 1.5/4 Jan 20, 2012 Full Review Walter V. Addiego San Francisco Chronicle The plot is somewhat pedestrian and the dialogue needs more zip. Rated: 2/4 Oct 27, 2011 Full Review Kalvin Henely Slant Magazine The film somehow feels more fanciful than factual, a rift that's aggravated by the juxtaposition of the real actors' performances and the Bayaka pygmies' at times startling real presence. Rated: 2/4 Oct 17, 2011 Full Review Beth Accomando KPBS.org Despite some missteps and awkwardness, Oka! proves compelling and engaging. Currier captures the beauty of the African landscape, and she takes the time to document the Bayaka culture with care and compassion. Nov 18, 2011 Full Review Brent Simon Shockya.com A unique and fascinating tale of cultural connection, and the elemental nature of various human curiosities that bind us together. Rated: B Oct 31, 2011 Full Review Maitland McDonagh Film Journal International Slow to start and rambling when it gets going, Oka! nevertheless offers small pleasures, not least a glimpse of life deep in the African rainforest. Oct 24, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (3) audience reviews
R 9 I'll likely effectively not remember 'Oka!' in a few days. It's not necessarily 'bad' - 'forgettable' is more apt. Kris Marshall feels like quite odd casting, but he does the job no doubt. Will Yun Lee, Isaach de Bankolé and Mapumba do their bit too, but to be honest I wouldn't say it's a film that has noteworthing acting/actors. Elsewhere, the story is meh - I didn't really get into it unfortunately. Also, is it just me or do the wild animals (namely the elephants) look uncanny, I genuinely couldn't tell if they used special effects or not. All in all, I wouldn't recommend this one. I rate the Central African Republic visuals, mind. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Warning: Netflix screwed up the subtitles royally. They DON'T TRANSLATE the african or french dialog in this movie, they just flash "[speaking in foreign language]" on the screen. As a result you will miss many important plot points, because literally more than half the dialog is lost. Unbelievably stupid move by Netflix!!! BUT you can download a subtitle file and read it while you watch, cumbersome but at least the movie becomes intelligible. You can get one here: http://www.subtitles.at/oka/7 Or search for Oka movie subtitles. Open the .srt file with a text editor and follow the timing data above each line. As far as the movie goes, the acting and the plot are pretty good, nothing great.The big attraction is lots of local color. You really feel like you're in Africa. The pygmies are fascinating and the scenery is gorgeous. Well filmed. I only wish there was more pygmy music in it! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Solid, entertaining film - serious, funny, and enlightening. Highly recommendable, yet nothing particularly dazzling about it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Oka! Amerikee

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Oka! Amerikee

A scene from "Oka!." A scene from "Oka!." Kris Marshall (right) as Larry in "Oka!." A scene from "Oka!." Kris Marshall as Larry in "Oka!." Isaach De Bankolé (center) as Bassoun in "Oka!." Kris Marshall as Larry in "Oka!." Kris Marshall (left) as Larry in "Oka!." Kris Marshall (right) as Larry in "Oka!." Kris Marshall as Larry in "Oka!." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis An American ethnomusicologist lives among Africa's Bayaka Pygmies for 25 years.
Director
Lavinia Currier
Distributor
Required Viewing, Dada Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 14, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 21, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$18.4K
Runtime
1h 46m