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ABOUNA |
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Director:
Mahamet Saleh Haroun
Cast: Tahir: Ahidjo Mahamet Moussa
Amine: Hamza Moctar Aguid
Achta (mother): Zara Haroun
The Mute Girl: Mounira Khalil
Uncle Adoum: Diego Moustapha Ngarade
Running time: 84 minutes
Production: France/Chad 2002
Rating: Not rated
Gauge: 35mm (color)
Language: French & Arabic
Distributor: Leisure Time Features
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"It
is a tale of lost innocence, unconditional love, and how, despite
them rarely coming true, we inevitably turn to our dreams. It's a
heartbreaker, emotionally and visually--a nugget of pure humanism...
Abouna isn't a political film; like Kiarostami, Haroun seeks
common understanding through the minutiae of everyday life."
Fiona Morrow, The Independent Review. |
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In N’Djamena,
the dry, dusty capital of Chad, an errant father abandons his family,
an event quite common in this poor country. When he fails to show
up to referee their soccer match, 15-year-old Tahir and his younger
brother, Amine, set out to look for him, though it soon becomes
clear that he is gone for good. The boys’ mother, feeling abandoned
and unable to cope, places them in the care of a Koranic school
far from home. Unhappy in the authoritarian and sometimes brutal
environment, the boys plan to escape and search for their father,
until Tahir falls in love with a mute local girl. One of only two
Chadian filmmakers, Haroun (Bye-Bye Africa) confounds “western”
notions of story development, slowly revealing the sad and sometimes
harsh reality of life in this part of the world. “When you
make a happy end,” the filmmaker has said, “In Chad they
know that it’s not true.” Nonetheless, the refreshingly
unpredictable narrative contains moments of great tenderness, comic
flourishes, and ultimately a message of hope. Exquisitely photographed
using a palette of saturated primary colors and earth tones, the
film offers a fascinating glimpse into a world rarely represented
in cinema.
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| PHOTO Leisure
Time Features |
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