The Place in Between (2010)

Amy was born in France, but her real name is Aminata. With a white French father and a mother from Burkina Faso, she has always felt in-between, especially since she grew up without her mother. So when she lands in Burkina searching for a connection with her African family, she looks, sounds and feels adrift. Amy's return to her mother's town is tentative. As she walks through the streets in her western dress, the local men call out, "Hey, white lady!" When she visits the home of her aunt Acita to try and find out where her mother disappeared to, the welcome is no less distant. Her mother had a secret that shamed the family; Acita is not about to discuss these matters with a foreign girl who might as well be a stranger. But Amy perseveres. Esther takes lessons in the Dioula language from a Burkinabé woman who also works as a cleaner. At first it's not clear why Esther - white, middle-aged and middle class - wants to learn an African language. But as the film juxtaposes these two stories of women bridging the gap between Europe and Africa, the connections become clear and ultimately heartbreaking.