Imperial Blue

Imperial Blue

90 Minutes, Not Rated

Written by David Cecil and Dan Moss

Directed by Dan Moss

Synopsis:

American smuggler Hugo travels to Africa to find the source of Bulu, a mysterious narcotic with prophetic powers. In Uganda, two sisters offer to help him, each competing for his money. As they journey deeper into the forest, their uneasy alliance comes apart with horrifying consequences.

There is a lot of backstory to this film, and while we don’t normally cite a film’s website, we’ll do it in this case. http://imperialbluefilm.com/ has a ton of information, including the trailer (obviously), along with how the film developed over the course of years, during which the director cultivated not only relationships with the cast and crews of Africa, but cultivated a film industry there, as well.

So let’s talk about the film itself, shall we?

First of all, the basics of the story aren’t new: drug dealer, owes money, bad people, big score, settle debts, etc., etc…

Sounds like I’m about to trash this film, doesn’t it?

Wrong.

The elements of fantasy embodied in the “bulu” (the drug Hugo is searching for) add a layer of philosophy to the story that cannot be overlooked.

A drug that lets you see your future.

Not THE future; YOUR future.

Big difference.

So, Hugo attempts to leverage dose after dose of the bulu to his advantage as he works to gain a foothold in the only African village where the blue flower grows.

Trying desperately to overcome the villagers’ natural reticence to trust any white man, while they also wage a battle between their traditions and the preacher, whose devotion to the Christian tradition is vocal, though certainly questionable, at best.

Much like most stories involving prophesy, from the Greeks to Shakespeare, mankind’s quest to avoid a future he believes he knows almost certainly ends in bringing it to pass.

Hugo is, of course, no exception.

Overall, Imperial Blue is a solid film, despite its (very) indie feel. The cast is competent, the story, while not entirely new, is novel enough to be solidly engaging, and the technical aspects–especially the scenes of the bulu visions–are on par with any other production that’s come across our inbox recently, and is certainly better than half of those.

I’d recommend Imperial Blue to anyone looking for an interesting way to spend 90 minutes. There’s some violence, but that’s to be expected in the rough-and-tumble world of drugs smuggling, so don’t be surprised when the blood shows up.

Imperial Blue stars Nicolas Fagerberg, Ashish Verma, Paul Dewdney, Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga, Amanda Dahl, Rehema Nanfuka, and Durassie Kiangangu.

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