Ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno traveled from New Jersey to the forests of Central Africa to record the music of the Bayaka Pygmies. He fell in love with the people and their music – and a Bayaka girl. Despite his failing health and the harsh realities of life in the village, he bravely follows the Bayaka into the heart of the forest. OKA! is a true story, capturing the spirit of a remarkable people with music, humor, and love.

For thoughts on OKA!, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/lhmNYo6Vx6c?t=113]

Video Quality

Kino Classics graces OKA! with a pretty strong presentation in the form of a new 1080p transfer in its original aspect ratio that is not noted as being sourced from a new master, but it looks good overall. There are the odd moments where certain shots take a subtle downturn in quality, but this may be more attributed to the original source. The film does present some very minor instances with dirt and fluctuations in density. The overall color palette of the film is robust in a way that captures the beautiful African locales well. The transfer features some vibrant colors within the locations that are striking with great saturation.

Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up some fairly deep black levels that only begin to crush a bit in the darkest moments. There is a noticeable uptick in fine detail that should please fans of the film, even if some shots look more sharp than others. There does not appear to have been any digital manipulation of the source. The transfer provides nice, natural film grain absent of any compression artifacts or other such digital anomalies. While a fresh scan may have yielded slightly better results. Kino Classics has given this one a significant upgrade in high definition.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a solid DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that represents the film pretty well throughout. The mixture of English dialogue with African dialects works well for the narrative, and environmental noises are represented in pleasing harmony with all competing elements. All of the nature effects and music appear to be faithful to the original sound. This disc maintains a favorable sense of fidelity that is appreciated throughout. Audiences will appreciate the clarity of the music that is made within the village. Nothing ever overpowers the dialogue or other pertinent information. This track shows no overwhelming instances of age related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. There are optional English and English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Listen To The Forest – Behind The Scenes Of OKA!: A terrific 53-minute documentary by James Bruce & Lavinia Currier which takes a look at the filmmakers returning to the region to show the film, reconnect with the people, talk with the real-life Louis Sarno, attempt to inform change and more.

Trailers: There is a two-minute trailer provided for OKA! There is also a trailer provided for Passion In The Desert.

Final Thoughts

OKA! is a unique experience as it takes you to the heart of some African villages that would otherwise be nearly impossible to observe, only you have a white man as your companion. This is not a terrible mistake as this particular white man is a force for good, but as an audience you do find yourself wanting more from the villagers rather than this plain man. The film never commits to white-savior tropes, which is a blessing, but it also never feels as substantial as it should. There is a lot to appreciate about this one, but the thematic weight is a bit undefined. Kino Classics has provided a new Blu-Ray featuring a pretty enjoyable A/V presentation and a great documentary supplement. If you want to get a rewarding look at different groups of African people, be sure to give this one a shot. Recommended

OKA! is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.