简介：PapuaNewGuinea'scoalitiongovernmentwonindependenceofthecountryin1975,aneventdocumentedinDennisO'Rourke'spreviousfilmYumiYet.THecountry'sfirstgeneralelectionfollowedin1977.ItwasorganisedontheBritishmodel,andthechiefconflictwasbetweentheservingprimeministerMichaelSomareandtheformerGovernorGerneral,SirJohnGuise.althoughtherwerealsonumerous'fringe'partiesandindependentcandidatesstanding. Ileksen(thetitleispidginEnglishfor'election')isan'obersvational'documentaryaboutthehustingsinPapuaNewGuinea.Itfollowsthevariouscampaignerscanvassingforsupportintownsandruralareas,holdingmeetingsandgivingspeeches;noonefactioniseitherfavouredorpatronised.Theresultdoesnotgiveaclearpictureofthecentralissuesbeingfoughtover(althoughitclearlysuggeststhatitwouldbealmostimpossibletodoso),butitdoesofferanextremelyincisiveanalysisofthestructureandstlyeoftheelectionitself.Alotofitlooksveryfunnyindeedtoanon-Papuanviewer,andespeciallytothosewhohavefirst-handexperienceofAmericanorEuropeanelections:thefilmshowsavarietyofbizarreapproachestotheproblemofwinningvotes,fromaspeakerwhoarrangesarockbandbackingforhisspeechtoacandidatewhotakesadvantageofaninvitationtolectureschool-childrenonpoliticsbyshamelesslypushinghisownplatform.Theprevailingimpressionisoneofchaos,ofacountrywithrichculturaltraditionsofitsownandveryspecificeconomicandpoliticalproblemsofitsownstrugglingtoadaptitselftoaformofdemocracythatithastriedtoimportwholesale. DennisO'RourkeandGaryKildea,thefilm'sco-directors,havenotfallenintothetrapsthatmanytraditional'cinema-verite'documentaristshavemadealltoofamiliar.Theyshootandedittheirmaterialforclarity,inaspiritofanalysis,nottoscoreeasylaughsortomakecheapmoralpoints.Manyofthefilm'ssequencesarefilmedinlong,uninterruptedtakes,whichpreservethe'reality'oftheeventsfilmedwithoutdistortingthembyselectiveediting.Ileksenisexcellentlyphotographed,cogentlyassembledandcompulsivelyinteresting-amodel,infact,fordocumentariesofitskind. TonyRayns…