Return to Gorée

Conversations full of memorable words and what can only be called 'genuineness' push Youssou N'Dour: Return to Gore into the realm of unforgettable filmmaking.

Trace[s] influences and celebrate connections with tunes to make you tap and sway.

Unlike Maria Bethania: Music Is Perfume, Youssou N'Dour: Return to Goree is a documentary that actually has something on its mind beyond pandering to a singer's fan base.

Points to Bourgeaud for not whitewashing the beautifully awkward moments of cultural misunderstanding

It provides ample moments for reflection -- and maybe, judging by the reactions of the American musicians who go back home in his film, a little bit of healing, too

The serious undertones of the film are very real and played out with rapture.

A wondrous trip with Africa's greatest singer as he bonds with his musical brethren in the New World.

A picture which chillingly conveys a palpable sense of what being a direct victim of slavery might have felt like and why the fallout from that evil institution persists to this day like the proverbial ripples on a pond.