A chronicle of a rather unusual afternoon during which the lives of three people change dramatically: Alex, the husband, goes to his in-laws’ house to bring home his second wife. Elise, Alex’s childhood sweetheart and first wife, accompanies him—as tradition dictates. And Josephine, the young bride, leaves her parents to start a new life.
Enlisted by a neighbor, Jean-Marie Teno transforms what might have been a typical wedding video into a subtle and intimate portrait of polygamy in contemporary Cameroon. Filming the celebration with rich cultural detail, Teno is also drawn into the interpersonal drama surrounding the welcoming of the second wife into an already established household. Members of Alex’s family and his friends sing songs about the harmony that the new wife, Josephine, will bring, but the silence of Elise, the first wife, and the tears of Josephine herself, force viewers to imagine how Alex and his wives will navigate the new arrangements.
Those in attendance speak directly to the camera, congratulating the newlyweds and later describing their views on polygamy. Alex’s friends defend the practice, describing it alternately as an expression of cultural rights, as tacit resistance to European customs, or as a result of human nature. Elise, Alex’s first wife, refuses to speak to Teno, who wants to give her a chance to express the pain she clearly feels. While the men assert that God gave man a sword sharpened on both sides to use, Elise sardonically agrees that yes, and he must then cut down everything in his path and waste no time doing so. Teno’s quiet presence gradually reveals the complex set of expectations in which each of the participants is caught, including the filmmaker. Though the viewer understands Teno’s position on the matter, his personal voice adds moral force to his sensitively delivered critique of polygamy. Alex’s Wedding, accomplished with respectful camerawork and an evenhanded treatment of all involved, is a moving call to debate….
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