The Scent of Burnt Flowers

Set in the 1960s, artist, filmmaker, and musician Bazawule’s debut follows Melvin and Bernadette, a newly engaged, African American couple who have fled to Ghana after a deadly incident at an Alabama diner. The couple hopes that the Ghanaian president, Kwame Nkrumah, a college friend of Melvin’s, will offer them protection. Narrator Dion Graham communicates Melvin and Bernadette’s panic as their plans go hopelessly wrong, and their fragile relationship becomes increasingly strained. Graham brings his talents to bear, energetically voicing the many entertaining characters that Melvin and Bernadette encounter throughout their journey, from popular Highlife musician Kwesi Kwayson, who has an otherworldly connection to Bernadette, to FBI agent Hughes, who doggedly pursues the couple to Ghana. Graham’s accent work is impressive. With seeming ease, he captures a staggering array of voices, including terrifying bigots from the American South, expansive Highlife musicians, and even an unsettling mermaid or two.