UN HOMME QUI CRIE

Present-day Chad. Adam, 55 years old, a former swimming champion, works as a pool attendant in a smart N’Djamena hotel. When the hotel is taken over by new Chinese owners, he is forced to give up his job to his son Abdel. Terribly resentful, he feels socially humiliated. The country is in the throes of a civil war. Rebel forces are attacking the overnment. The authorities demand that the population contribute to the “war effort”,giving money or volunteers old enough to fight off the assailants. The District Chief constantly harasses Adam for his contribution. But Adam is penniless; he only has his son.
Un homme qui crie draws these narrative elements towards its moving climax with calm precision. As in Haroun’s previous films, events here feel guided by the inevitable hand of fate. Such is Haroun’s control of sound and image that a scene where Abdel’s girlfriend discovers shocking news about him is devastating to witness. The narrative builds with a string of discoveries, culminating in a final scene that embodies the full tragedy of this African father’s story. (Cameron Bailey)