Unselfconscious look at Masai on a mission

A group of Masai warriors sets out to kill a mystical lion to end the drought that is threatening their village’s existence. Simple. Or not so simple.

The warriors are untested teenagers, and the village’s war chief has just died. No one is sure where the lion is -- or if killing it really will appease the Red God and end the drought. And as their dangerous trek through savannah and desert wears on, the boys have to admit that no one is sure if the lion actually exists.

Still, director-writer Pascal Plisson and cowriter Olivier Dazat recognize the power of simplicity in the handsomely shot adventure, “Masai: The Rain Warriors,” a 2004 Kenyan/French production. They send their young nonprofessional actors on their mission and largely get out of the way. Except for a distinctly European score, Plisson avoids excessive embellishment.

Because of the blank-slate presentation, viewers are free to read into the story as they will. There’s a “Moby-Dick”-like quality to the quest as the warriors press on despite every good reason to turn back. “Wipe [the lion] from your mind,” says one of the only boys willing to give up, “it’s the only way to be rid of him.”

Clearly, each is facing down his own white whale: One believes that killing the lion will save his ailing sister; one must succeed to ascend to the role of war chief; and the central character, Merono, sees a chance to break out of his family’s lower-class status as sheepherders and marry his warrior friend’s sister.

The novice Masai cast delivers strong, unselfconscious performances. As emerging leader Merono, then-18-year-old Ngotiek Ole Mako is an appealing hero. Musurpei Ole Toroge is thoughtful as Njaro, settling into his family’s witch doctor legacy. And elder statesman Paul Nteri Ole Sekenan, as discarded veteran Papai, is a sympathetic, steadying force.

The film has its flaws -- the length of the arduous journey certainly could be conveyed with greater economy, the action is not dynamically depicted and the lack of character development makes it occasionally difficult to follow -- but the earnest minimalism of “Masai” makes it an unusual moviegoing experience.

*

‘Masai: The Rain Warriors’

MPAA rating: Unrated

An ArtMattan Productions release. Directed by Pascal Plisson. In Maa, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 34 minutes. At Laemmle’s Grande, 345 S. Figueroa St., L.A. (213) 617-0268