Until the Birds Return

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Until the Birds Return

2017

1h 53m

Drama

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Past and present collide in the lives of a newly wealthy property developer, an ambitious neurologist impeded by wartime wrongdoings and a young woman torn between the path of reason and sentiment.

Devika Girish

New York Times

04/30/2020

As its characters traverse the country's crisscrossing motorways, "Until the Birds Return" locates the singular moments that form the nodes of a shared national history.

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Jordan Mintzer

The Hollywood Reporter

05/23/2017

An intriguing first feature from writer-director Karim Moussaoui that explores the damaged emotional landscape of his homeland.

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Harvey S. Karten

Big Apple Reviews

04/21/2020

B+

A trio of minimally connected stories amid the background of a prosperous looking Algeria.

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Oktay Ege Kozak

Paste Magazine

04/15/2020

7.8/10

The switch in narrative is so seamless and organic, the camera a fly on the wall that just happens to attach itself to the next random individual.

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Kyle Kohner

The Playlist

10/23/2018

D+

Missing the crucial connective chord that ties it all together, the filmmaker inadvertently does a huge disservice to the culture he clearly holds so dearly.

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Amber Wilkinson

Eye for Film

03/29/2018

3/5

Like so many anthology films, it suffers from the fact that the sections are uneven, with the middle segment soaring high above the two bookend stories.

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06/17/2020

not interested in watching

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08/11/2017

A Beautifully constructed film showcasing the lives of three people or three stories interconnected in the vastness of the Algerian landscape. This film gives us a clear peak into the life and times of these ordinary characters as they face the hardships of modern times. Karim Moussaoui gets right to the center of modern Algerian society touching upon it's civil war back drop and cultural contextual nature in such a fascinating manner. It's hard to not be invested in the central drama and conflict set against these characters within the film's concentrated three act structure. The film focuses on themes such as guilt, responsibility, love and honest living, aided by it's stunning cinematography to bring out it's deserted setting, fine direction, and well written and acted characters, it's the most unique cinematic experience I've from a country I've never really paid attention to let alone aware it even had much of a film industry.

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Karim Moussaoui

Director

Mohamed Djouhri

Mourad

Sonia Mekkiou

Lila

Mehdi Ramdani

Djalil

Hania Amar

Aïcha

Chawki Amari

le père d'Aïcha

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Synopsis

Past and present collide in the lives of a newly wealthy property developer, an ambitious neurologist impeded by wartime wrongdoings and a young woman torn between the path of reason and sentiment.

Director: Karim Moussaoui
Producer: David Thion, Philippe Martin
Screenwriter: Karim Moussaoui, Maud Ameline
Production Co: CADC, NiKo Film, MK2 Films, Les Films Pelléas, arte France Cinéma, Prolégomènes
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 28, 2020
Runtime: 1h 53m

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