A Screaming Man

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A Screaming Man

2011

1h 32m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Aging Adam Ousmane (Youssouf Djaoro), who was once an up-and-coming Chadian swimmer, now manages the pool at a prestigious local resort. When the new Chinese managers of the establishment decide to downsize, Adam loses his job to his own son, Abdel (Dioucounda Koma). Shattered by this demeaning turn of events, Adam is pressured into contributing to the Chadian war effort. With no money to speak of, the only asset he can donate is his son, who is then abducted into the Chadian army.

Critics Consensus

A Screaming Man deftly uses its personal look at a family dynamic to offer pointed political observations, confirming writer-director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun as a major talent.

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Wendy Okoi-Obuli

Shadow and Act

04/21/2017

An elegant character study of father & son.

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Philip French

Guardian

05/15/2011

A Screaming Man is a quiet film about family life, the relationship between fathers and children, and the way generations can shape and reshape each other. It ultimately has a sublime quality.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

05/13/2011

4/5

This is not only a good-looking, well directed and splendidly shot and acted film. It is an unforgettable snapshot of a failed country, and one of the best films in London at the moment.

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

08/05/2019

3.5/4

It's a story of sprawling scope on a deeply personal scale, using the family at its core as a microcosm for greater societal tragedy.

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Michael Sicinski

Cinema Scope

11/27/2017

The director finds himself artistically stranded between the allegorical impulse and the will to historicize.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

05/05/2013

A

Engrossing arty melodrama that brilliantly blends together a tragic political and psychological story set in modern-day Chad.

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10/31/2016

Adam is the pool attendant at a posh hotel in Chad. He's a former champion swimmer, and has had the job for decades. His son works under him as an assistant pool attendant. When the hotel is bought by new management, Adam finds himself moved to tending the front gate while his son takes over the pool. He's humiliated by the drop in status. Meanwhile, the army has been fighting rebels and is demanding contributions from all citizens to the cause. When Adam cannot come up with any money, he secretly gives up his son to the military, meeting his obligation and getting back his old job in the process. However, the guilt eats away at him, especially when his son's pregnant girlfriend shows up. A well-regarded film that won the Jury Prize at Cannes, it was a little too slow for me, especially in the last act.

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 08/16/2015

First Chadian film I've ever seen. Hoping the second will be a lot better... clearly influenced by the French cinematic approach, this film is light on plot, insight, character development and heavy on prolonged scenes of silence. Watch on fast forward and you won't miss much. Painfully dull but interesting to see the conflict in Chad given some prominence.

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02/22/2014

winner of the cannes 2010 grand jury prize this drama deals with the fall out of civil war in chad where this is filmed.

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11/11/2013

Very sad. This film is not violent, loud, or shocking. It is gentle, and it shows the emotional side of life, without the fluffy words and posing of other films trying to depict such. Don't watch it if you want action and drama. Do watch it if you are feeling analytical and like you want to love and forgive human beings for the weak, egotistical and selfish beings that we are.

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05/31/2013

Not as gripping as I thought.

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04/06/2013

A Screaming Man is an extremely well played meditation on what it is like to have your world flipped upside down in a heartbeat, and how one makes amends with the unpredictability of life. Highly Recommended.

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Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

Director

Youssouf Djaoro

Adam

Diouc Koma

Abdel

Emile Abossolo M'bo

Le chef de quartier

Marius Yelolo

David

Djénéba Koné

Djeneba

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Synopsis

Aging Adam Ousmane (Youssouf Djaoro), who was once an up-and-coming Chadian swimmer, now manages the pool at a prestigious local resort. When the new Chinese managers of the establishment decide to downsize, Adam loses his job to his own son, Abdel (Dioucounda Koma). Shattered by this demeaning turn of events, Adam is pressured into contributing to the Chadian war effort. With no money to speak of, the only asset he can donate is his son, who is then abducted into the Chadian army.

Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Producer: Florence Stern
Screenwriter: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Entre Chien et Loup, Pili Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 2, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.9K
Runtime: 1h 32m