Abouna (Our Father), Dir Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Chad/France 2003
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Abouna (Our Father)
Set in writer-director's Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's homeland, Chad, Abouna is the story of two young brothers' search for their father.
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 colours and earth tones, the film offers a fascinating glimpse into a world rarely represented in cinema.
Certificate: UK:PG
Key cast / credits: Dir Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Cast: Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa, Hamza Moctar Aguid, Zara Haroun
Running time: 81 mins
Release date: 22 November 2002 (UK)
Country: Chad/France
Language: Chad Arabic w/English subtitles
Format available: 35mm/digi
"Meticulously executed, poignant and gently funny" A.O. Scott, New York Times
"One of the year's best films...A future classic, no doubt about it." Trevor Johnston, Time Out
"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