Abouna

"...it didn't come across as an African film made by and for Africans. Instead it felt like a world cinema piece, aimed squarely at European and North American audiences..."

It's ok.

"Mahamat-Saleh Haroun blends wry humour and youthful optimism to make this a provocative and uplifting experience."

While I liked Haroun's film Daratt a bit more for its thematic depth, this simple story of two brothers' fight for survival reveals his talent and skill as a filmmaker. I loved the chemistry of the two brothers, the occasional insertion of dry humor, and the underlying sense of hope. Haroun's film charts both the loss of one's old identity and the search for a new one in the face of cataclysmic change. As in life, some will fail, while others persevere.