Yeelen 1987

Niankoro, the son of Soma Niamanto Sanogo, finds himself hunted after a vision foretells his death, and his journey begins with a desperate escape. The chase is relentless, driven by his father’s hunger for power and fear of losing control, while Niankoro is aided by his mother Soumba Traore, who stands behind him as a steady, protective force even as they both navigate a world that blends magic, danger, and shifting loyalties.

Aided by his mother, Niankoro seizes several of his father’s sacred fetishes and leaves the village to seek out his uncle Ismaila Sarr for help. The pursuit is not far behind; Soma wields an enchanted pylon that can track his son’s location across any barrier, turning pursuit into a relentless, almost mythic hunt. The landscape shifts as Niankoro travels, crossing into Fulani territory where a hyena speaks of a grand destiny awaiting him, hinting that greatness lies beyond exile.

In the eyes of the Fulani king Rouma Boll Balla Moussa Keita, Niankoro is mistaken for a thief and captured. Yet Niankoro’s magic proves formidable: he freezes his guards and declares he cannot be killed, winning Rouma’s cautious respect. The king, impressed, offers Niankoro his freedom in exchange for aid against a rival tribe. When the tribe strikes, Niankoro summons a swarm of bees and a blazing fire to drive their attackers away, and Rouma, grateful and wary, asks for help in a deeply personal matter: to cure his wife Attou’s infertility. Niankoro conjures a charm, but the moment of triumph is overshadowed by a shared hunger and desire between Niankoro and Attou, a truth they confess to Rouma, who reluctantly orders them to marry and to depart.

The path continues with the ever-present danger of Soma’s pursuit. Soma sacrifices an albino man and a wild dog to appease the gods, hoping to gain the power to hunt Niankoro without fail. He then meets with the Komo—the sorcerous order—whose leaders warn that Niankoro intends to redistribute their magic across the land, threatening ages of secrecy and control. Undeterred, Niankoro and Attou reach his uncle Djigui, who was blinded years before when he chose to wield Kore’s Wing for his people. Djigui, still bound to the duty of protecting ancient power, entrusts Kore’s Wing to Niankoro and tells him that his unborn children will become a nation forged through hardship, facing slavery and yet ultimately prospering. Attou, now pregnant, takes Kore’s Wing and, with a heavy heart, prepares for the trials ahead.

With Kore’s Wing in hand, Niankoro races to confront his father. He pleads for restraint, only to discover Soma cannot bear to share his power. The two fierce rivals unleash the full force of their artifacts: Soma assumes the shape of an elephant with his pylon, while Niankoro becomes a lion with Kore’s Wing. A blinding, cataclysmic wave erupts, killing them both and turning the surrounding land into sand. In the wake of their deaths, Attou and her young son come to the wrecked site, discovering two eggs in the ruin. Her son takes the egg that bears his father’s legacy, and Attou places Kore’s Wing in his hands, guiding him to a future beyond the desert as they retreat into an uncertain but hopeful horizon.

This epic, mythic journey blends prophecy, power, and the cost of ambition, painting a future where a once-divided land might one day become a united nation, built from the sacrifices of those who dared to challenge the old orders and endure the trials of a harsh, transformative landscape.