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Moolaade

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Moolaade (2004)

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Reviews Counted:70

Fresh:69

Rotten:1

Average Rating:8.3/10

Consensus: A vibrant, powerful, and poignant glimpse into the struggles of women in modern Africa.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 2 hrs 4 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Oct 15, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: African cinema's founding father, 81-year-old Ousmane Sembene, continues to be its most fiery, provocative spirit. Extending the strong feminist consciousness that marked his previous triumph Faat... African cinema's founding father, 81-year-old Ousmane Sembene, continues to be its most fiery, provocative spirit. Extending the strong feminist consciousness that marked his previous triumph Faat Kiné (as well as such earlier classics as Black Girl and Ceddo), Moolaadé is a rousing polemic directed against the stillcommon African practice of female circumcision. The action is set in a small African village, where four young girls facing ritual "purification" flee to the household of Collé Ardo Gallo Sy, a strong-willed woman who has managed to shield her own teenage daughter from mutilation. Collé invokes the time-honored custom of moolaadé (sanctuary) to protect the fugitives, and tension mounts as the ensuing stand-off pits Collé against village traditionalists (both male and female) and endangers the prospective marriage of her daughter to the heir-apparent to the tribal throne. Though the subject matter might seem weighty, this buoyant film is anything but–Sembene places the action amid a colorful, vibrant tapestry of village life and expands the narrative well beyond the bounds of straightforward, socially conscious realism employing an imaginative array of emblematic metaphors, mythic overtones, and musical numbers. Winner of the Grand Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, Moolaadé was selected by many prominent critics as the best film of the entire festival. -- © New Yorker Films [More]

Starring: Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Helene Diarra, Salimata Traore, Dominique T. Zeida

Starring: Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Helene Diarra, Salimata Traore, Dominique T. Zeida, Mah Compaore, Aminata Dao

Director: Ousmane Sembene

Director: Ousmane Sembene
Screenwriter: Ousmane Sembene
Studio: New Yorker Films

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Release:

Dec 11, 2007

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Moolaade

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Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

The eightysomething Sembene delivers a powerfully acted and colourfully shot polemic. A perceptive observation of daily life in an African village that celebrates female bravery and solidarity.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/22/07
Tom Dawson
Tom Dawson
Channel 4 Film

This masterwork by Ousmane Sembene, the 81-year-old father of African cinema and one of Senegal's greatest novelists, is the second film in a trilogy celebrating African women.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
10/22/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Ousmane, who wrote and directs, gives strong flavors to his characterization of village life and its peoples. But as drama the film mostly serves to illustrate the two sides of this crucial social debate in Africa.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
10/30/06
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is an impassioned and uplifting film.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out

Poetic, provocative and unstoppably powerful. But, depressingly, it probably won't change a thing.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
David Parkinson
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine

Every character is a symbol for Sembene to realize his humanistic visions in a folklore type of cinema.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/06/06
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Though Moolaadé doesn't shy away from the task of educating its viewers about the brutality of 'purification,' it works equally well as a tribute to righteous defiance wherever it surfaces.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps
AV Club

It's certainly clear where the director stands on the issue, but underneath is a far richer film about the complex issues of globalization and the values of tradition.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
07/21/05
Richard Nilsen
Richard Nilsen
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
07/08/05
Sydney Morning Herald
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
07/05/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Tthe most exuberant films ever made about female circumcision.

Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
06/21/05
Leo Goldsmith
Leo Goldsmith
Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Solemnity rarely taints Sembéne's films; his anger and indignation are invariably tempered by his warmth, humour and generosity of spirit.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
06/07/05
Philip Kemp
Philip Kemp
Sight and Sound

Sembene provides not only a fascinating glimpse into the culture of tropical Africa, but also a powerful account of the social turmoil which bubbles beneath the surface.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
05/31/05
Jamie Woolley
Jamie Woolley
BBC

“Moolaade” works as a stirring parable for any community where progressive citizens and regressive policies collide.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
05/27/05
Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Never less than vivid.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
04/29/05
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

Moolaade is an amazing film -- colourful, in-your-face, thick with intense conversation -- and because of the subject matter, it's simultaneously fascinating and repellent to watch.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
04/22/05
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

A story told in music, vivid imagery and ritualistic movement.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
04/15/05
Susan Walker
Susan Walker
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Tackles a seriously important issue without losing the vibrant energy of everyday life.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
04/06/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

A film made with anger and passion that is in parts infuriating, inspiring and heartbreaking.

Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
03/23/05
Steven Snyder
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies
 
 
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