Dar Noir is Hamadi Mwapachu's debut film and introduces us to Daudi, a police office in Dar es Salaam trying to do his duty as a cop as well as staying off his many addictions. And mostly failing in this. Until he meets this girl that makes him realize he finally has to get his life in order. Around that same time he is assigned to a major case of human trafficking where the people involved seem to be ruthless. Daudi will need all his wits to stay clear and solve this case but he thinks he can do it and the viewer thinks so too. Life should be better and life can be better if we try hard. If only it was so easy, the movie shows us and has some nasty twists for our protagonist. The storytelling is compelling and we care for this very flawed character who seems to be making all the wrong choices all the time and bearing the consequences. Dar es Salaam is portrayed dark (many scenes take place at night), miserable and dirty with pieces of vomit stuck in your beard and failed blow jobs in shady night clubs. Its portrayal is also a bit surreal with cops in suits driving old-timer Mercedes but it is clear that the director Hamadi Mwapachu (who also plays Daudi) is a film fan and included nods to not only film noir but other genres and movies (Bad Lieutenant most of all) as well. In that sense it is more of film noir that happens to take place in Dar es Salaam than a realistic portrait of the Tanzanian city. Although many actors are not professionals, the acting is very solid and there quite a few funny moments (Tanzanians are natural actors). The soundtrack is dominant and plays an important part in setting the mood in this great film. Let us hope we will see more of this director!
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