Taafe Fanga (Skirt Power)

"Men stink!" For some of you, this is not exactly news; nor is it exactly fresh information to the poor 18th-century Dogon women in this fictionalized African 9 to 5: their husbands have extra wives, lay around shooting the village breeze, and grunt various orders to their spouses regarding food, warmth, and hubba hubba. In director Adama Drabo's playful world of magical realism, however, the guys get a rude awakening when one bold woman steals a powerful mask from a bush spirit. With the mask (and the power), gender roles are reversed, and the men start worrying about how their breasts look in colorful sari wraps, while the women sit around trying to decide what else to do that's man-like (after pondering for a few moments during a meeting, one woman brightens and offers: "We can drink beer..."). Although it begins a bit heavy-handed Taafe Fanga grows on you pretty quickly with its tongue-in-cheek humor and wondrous scenes--one stunning sequence in which women literally pull down stars from the sky for their children to play with is literally breathtaking. Enthusiastically recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)