Luanda – A spatial national metonymy in O herói and Na cidade vazia

Abstract

Through the analysis of the Angolan films O herói/The Hero (2004) and Na cidade vazia/The Hollow City (2004), this study identifies the filmic depictions of Luanda as a critical site for understanding the continuous struggles of the nation to form itself, to overcome the challenges left by its colonial legacy, and to address those that arise from its internal sociopolitical struggles. To this end, I focus particularly on the spatial representations of the Luanda and how they render the growing inequity of Angolan society visible, as well as revealing a milieu that consistently erects obstacles to the completions of the protagonists’ ambitions. Lastly, the films’ distinct temporal settings allow us to assess different historical perspectives of these ongoing individual and societal processes, which includes discrete idealized and projected outcomes for the nation.