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Movies / On DVD / Abouna
Abouna

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Abouna (2004)

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92 %
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Reviews Counted:13

Fresh:12

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7/10

Runtime: 84 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: This sorrowful story begins when Tahir (Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa) and his little brother Amine (Hamza Moctar Aguid) learn that their father has abandoned them, and they embark on a desperate quest to... This sorrowful story begins when Tahir (Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa) and his little brother Amine (Hamza Moctar Aguid) learn that their father has abandoned them, and they embark on a desperate quest to bring him home. Roaming their city in central African Chad, they check with relatives, look in local shops, and wander the border bridge between Chad and Cameroon. They even believe they see him in a film at a local cinema, and later steal the film reel to confirm their suspicions. Left on her own and with Amine suffering asthma attacks because of the stress, their single-mindedness wears on their mother, Achta (Zara Haroun). Breaking under her burden, she sends the boys to a remote Koran school, a dusty, harsh place filled with aggressive boys and an unforgiving teacher. Despite Tahir falling in love with a local girl, the boys fail to thrive in this bleak environment. Soon, the family becomes forever marred by a tragedy even more shocking than that which initially split them apart. The starkly beautiful Chadian landscape reflects the desolation the boys feel as the family slowly deteriorates. And the pacing of the story is incredibly slow, underscoring the way the boys refuse to accept that their father abandoned them. Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, whose BYE BYE AFRICA was the first feature film ever produced in Chad, creates a sensitive portrait of a family in crisis with ABOUNA, transcending national and cultural borders to touch the heart of every father-son bond. [More]

Starring: Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa, Hamza Moctar Aguid, Mounira Khalil, Zara Haroun

Starring: Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa, Hamza Moctar Aguid, Mounira Khalil, Zara Haroun, Koulsy Lamko, Garba Issa

Director: Mahamet Saleh Haroun

Director: Mahamet Saleh Haroun
Screenwriter: Mahamet Saleh Haroun
Producer: Guillaume De Seille

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Abouna

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1 - 19 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/16/04
Empire Magazine
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
12/11/02
Guardian [UK]
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N/R

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Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
12/11/02
FilmFour.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film never feels derivative or inauthentic.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
12/11/02
Sight and Sound
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Moving, yet unmemorable, cinema.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/11/02
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/11/02
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Gorgeously photographed, thematically complex and nothing if not ambitious, but strangely lacking in emotional punch.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
03/29/06
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

With its use of nonprofessional actors and actual locations, this is neorealism via Chad. However, Abouna is more moving to describe than it is to watch.

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
04/09/04
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
03/11/04
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic

While it doesn't tell a story that satisfies most Western eyes, in some ways that's part of the strength of Abouna.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
02/26/04
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger

Even considering how hard it must be to take a bad picture with the striking Chadian landscape as a backdrop, this film is an exceptionally beautiful work.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
02/20/04
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Suffers from largely rudderless direction, relying for any sense of profundity on the breathtaking beauty of Abraham Haile Biru's cinematography.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
02/20/04
Megan Lehmann
Megan Lehmann
New York Post

Lyrical and stoic.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
02/18/04
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice

It is a splendid achievement for the nascent African film industry. And it is also a fascinating film, notable for its empathetic heart as well as its political guts.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
02/17/04
Shirley Sealy
Shirley Sealy
Film Journal International

A perfect film.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
02/16/04
Phil Hall
Phil Hall
Film Threat

Mahamat-Selah Haroun's second feature film reveals both the beauties and the harsh realities of modern African life.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/05/03
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pleasant enough viewing ... but somewhat calculated, polished and ersatz.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
03/24/03
Keith H. Brown
Keith H. Brown
Eye for Film
 
 
1 - 19 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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