Bila Burba Film Review: New Story, Odd Telling

Bila Burba details a fascinating story of colonialism and oppression, but it does not go into enough detail in its telling.

The battle has been seen as a symbol of Gunadule identity, showing their resilience in the face of cultural erasure. The documentary Bila Burba captures the lasting legacy of this moment in time.  

Around a century later, this event has been immortalized by a live theater performance on the anniversary of the event. The Gunadule people all gather in the streets to have a reenactment of the battle, where they stood tall against government oppressors and took control of their lives. As a story, this tale is remarkable, and shows a cultural victory from the point of view of those who initiated it. Interviews with the descendents of the rebels shows how important the event continues to be for local politics and the sense of identity of these people. They stood and fought to avoid suppression in the government and visibility worldwide. It may have been violent and costly, but it was a last resort for a people on the brink of extinction. This alone is worth remembering. 

The main strength of Bila Burba is in showing the intersection of theater and history. By demonstrating the battle in a live setting with performers, it makes the story come alive. No different from American Civil War reenactors, it showcases a grisly, politicized event in history with a sense of tension and suspense, making the complexity of the narrative come alive. The Gunadule themselves perform the play, which means it is a bit one-sided in presentation, but since the winners write history, they are allowed to show off their side to the world. They got the last laugh from the government.

Unfortunately, the story can be a bit hard to follow. The drama footage intercut with interviews makes the production seem nonlinear. The backstory is crammed into an early part of the film and not elaborated upon enough in the following segments. Several interviews are personalized and interfere with the progression of the story. Overall, the chronicle of the event is interesting, but the way it is told makes it a bit muddled. 

In addition, as a narrative of this history, it does little to put the viewer in the mindset of the Gunadule rebels. Not enough detail is given to the backstory or what these people went through. Much of it is preparing for the show and the backstory behind it, with little time devoted to the actual dramatization of the event. This is a bit confusing for a film showcasing a theatrical performance. 

Bila Burba may not be the best documentation of the story, but it is an introduction to an interesting episode in indigenous history. It is a film made by the Gunadule culture for the Gunadule culture, and works better as an introduction to that than a documentary on its event. The culturally curious viewers may want to give it a watch, but it will be a bit dry and require some supplemental context to understand. 

Bila Burba is now available to stream online worldwide on imagineNATIVE’s platform until June 9-15.