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In the centre of almost every frame, Sangare holds the attention with strong charisma and a warmly engaging personality, allowing us to feel Souleymane's yearning for something to go his way. His detailed performance makes this portrait unusually vivid, from the perils of riding a bicycle in Parisian traffic to needing to wake up in the night to book his bed for tomorrow. Even the slightest baseless complaint can jeopardise his job. And he worries about his mother back home, trying to make sure someone is taking care of her.

Whether the story Souleymane tells is fact or fiction is beside the point, because what he has been through is profoundly inhumane. His odyssey over these two days is fairly nonstop, going from one intense situation to another. And he knows he is powerless to do any of it on his own.. This is vital filmmaking that bristles with honesty. It's also a remarkably astute depiction of a young man doing everything to find a path to a promising future against all odds.

themes, language, violence

9.Oct.25

Earthy honesty gives life to the characters, even in soapier moments. Mohammad and Tarik play Amani and Noor as observant women reacting in different ways to this new reality. So Taibah's smiling Zahra provokes confusing emotions, making Amani panic as Noor is seduced. Zahra seems both ambitious and overly helpful, which of course makes her seem even more sinister. By contrast, Alkharraz's Khaled is stony and rather pathetic in his unthinking selfishness.

Most of this is viewed through Amani's observant, worried eyes, and she remains hugely sympathetic as she faces her fears. The knowing point is that women pay the price for the mistakes men make, and this can be especially painful in male-dominated cultures. So when a woman becomes the menace, it feels like the world has turned upside down. These ideas add fuel to the freak-out scenes, sending the narrative in unexpected directions. The film's final act is a surreally mind-bending trip into the fears these women need to conquer.

themes, language, violence

17.Oct.25

Omar is furious that the rescue involves protracted discussions between various factions in order to guarantee that workers can get through without being shot themselves. An ambulance is only eight minutes away from Hind, but Hlehel's tenacious, exhausted Mahdi knows that negotiating a safe route requires working with a wide range of authorities. Additional issues include the fact that the army is jamming phone signals in Gaza, which hinders aid workers from getting to those in desperate need.

This is a powerfully important story that offers insight into an ongoing nightmare scenario, but the way it uses real people makes us feel uncomfortable. Hearing the voice and seeing photos of this frightened little girl is truly unnerving, even as it helps us feel what's going through the minds of the people who were on the line with her over three impossibly intense hours. Combined with later documentary footage, this vividly reveals the harsh complexities of wartime, especially conflict that's this ruthless and inhumane.

themes, language

16.Oct.25