Another Day of Life is a 2018 Polish-Spanish-Belgian-German-Hungarian animated feature co-production directed by Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow, based on Ryszard Kapuściński's autobiographical account, Another Day of Life.
A gripping story of a three-month-long journey that renowned Polish reporter Ryszard Kapuscinski took across Angola, ravaged by a war in which the front lines shifted like a kaleidoscope, from one day to the next.
⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️
A Fierce Introduction to Angola's Civil War
We got off to a strong start on our Angola week. It almost had to be a war film, since the country endured civil war from 1975 to 2002. This hybrid of animation and documentary hit me especially hard because it connects with my own family history. My maternal family lived in Angola until the Portuguese Carnation Revolution of April 25, 1974, after which Portugal left the country and Angola became independent on November 11, 1975. That historical break sets the stage for this story, where we follow war reporter Ryszard Kapuscinski, or Ricardo, as he moves through a nation collapsing into conflict. The film immediately grounds the politics in lived experience, which made my interest sharper than usual.
Hello friends! On the first day of films about Angola we immediately plunge into the abyss of a tortured country that has not been left alone for centuries. Another Day of Life is based on the book by Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski, who worked in Angola in 1975 as a war correspondent sending reports from the line of fire. I really liked the idea of combining animation and documentary here. The film was widely awarded and shown at major festivals, and beyond that prestige it is simply engaging. I learned a lot because, honestly, I had not paid enough attention to Angola's history before this.
Animation, Memory and Journalism Collide
I am not usually a fan of rotoscoping, the animation style made famous by A Scanner Darkly, but I did not dislike it here. What I found most effective was the mix of animated reconstruction, real footage of Angola and interviews with flesh-and-blood participants in the events, people like Artur Queiroz, Farrusco and Luis Alberto. It was also impressive to see how the memory of fighters such as Carlota Machado was preserved. There is something sadly fascinating about seeing real photos and footage of people who disappeared so long ago while they were still so young.
I liked the editing too. The alternation between animation and live-action material never breaks the atmosphere. On the contrary, it makes the story more accessible, especially for younger viewers who might become interested in Angola's long unrest because of this visual approach. I also liked the special effects when the main character drifts into a surreal space of impressions and thoughts. It fits perfectly, especially since Kapuscinski's book itself mixes factual reporting with allegory, magical realism and surrealism.
Politics, Language and the Weight of History
The weakest point for me is the dominance of English. Portuguese would have sounded much more natural in that setting, and I was curious how Kapuscinski actually communicated on the ground. Even so, the film opened up parts of Angolan history I barely knew, especially South Africa's invasion with support from the USA and the CIA. That external interference makes it clear that Angola became a chessboard for other powers the moment independence arrived. The movie also presents the MPLA in a very positive light, and I cannot judge all of that history with confidence, but it did make me reflect on how foreign intervention repeatedly turns liberation struggles into long disasters.
Perhaps the film would have sounded more colorful if it were only in Portuguese, but I also understand why an international co-production chose English. The language is not really the main point anyway. What matters is the role of a journalist in history and the conflict between professional duty and human duty. In stories like this, words can alter events, deciding who wins, who loses and how the world understands a war. What saddened me most is that Angola became a board on which superpowers measured strength while remaining indifferent to human lives.
Final Verdict: Essential Angola Viewing
There is a lot more to say about this documentary-animation hybrid, but the short version is simple: it is absolutely worth seeing. It teaches you about Kapuscinski's brave adventure and raises interest in Angola's modern history. It also made me want to read more from this master of literary journalism. I had already ordered The Shadow of the Sun by the end of the film, which says enough about how strongly it landed with me.
I definitely recommend it. The filmmakers manage to deliver a substantial amount of historical information in only 80 minutes while also showing how one person can influence the course of events. Journalism students in particular should watch this.
Krasnaya's Score
90/100
Freddy's Score
94/100
FINAL SCORE
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