Difret

"Difret" is the Amharic word for both courage and rape and 14-year-old Ethiopian country girl Tizita Hagere and Addis Ababa lawyer Meron Getnet exhibit plenty of each in debut director Zeresenay Mehari's fact-based exposé of the ancient practice of "telefa" - marriage through abduction. Having killed the man who kidnapped and raped her, Hagere is rescued from a speedy trial and execution by Getnet, who relishes the challenge of defending her and suing the Minister of Justice to force him to change the law relating to women who kill in self-defence. The opening attack by men on horseback is shocking and Hagere is touchingly vulnerable as she becomes accustomed to life in a big city orphanage. But, while Mehari's motives could not be more honourable, his methods leave much to be desired. Police chief Moges Yohannes and assistant district attorney Brook Sheferaw are grotesque caricatures and their demonisation undermines the potent message of this drama executive-produced by Angelina Jolie.