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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Set in 2012 when jihadists occupied the Malian city of the title, Timbuktu remains relevant, especially given subsequent events in Daesh-controlled territories. Criss-crossing between different characters, we meet a family of goat and cattle herders, local musicians, fishmongers and imams who are all suddenly compelled to obey sharia laws that prohibit music, the playing of football, or being in a room with anyone of the opposite sex if he or she is not part of your family - things that we in the West take for granted.Mauritanian-born, Malian-reared director Abderrahmane Sissako exposes the cruelty and absurdity of fundamentalist regimes, but with a warm, surprisingly humorous touch. Seldom has a film about a subject as grim as this been so generous in its sympathy not just for the victims of a brutal system, but also the oppressors, often confused befuddled souls, who know not what they do. The ending is pretty bleak, though there's a crumb of comfort to be found in the indomitability of the human spirit.

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Credits

Cast

rolename
KidaneIbrahim Ahmed (2)
SatimaToulou Kiki
AbdelkrimAbel Jafri
FatouFatoumata Diawara
JihadistHichem Yacoubi
ZabouKettly Noël
IssanMehdi A G Mohamed
ToyaLayla Walet Mohamed
ImamAdel Mahmoud Cherif
Chief jihadistSalem Dendou

Crew

rolename
DirectorAbderrahmane Sissako

Details

Theatrical distributor
Curzon Film World
Released on
2015-05-29
Languages
English | Arabic | Bambara | French
Guidance
Some violence, swearing.
Available on
DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour
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