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Gavagai

Play trailer Gavagai 2025 1h 29m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 9 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
On the set of a turbulent shoot of a Medea adaptation in Senegal, Maja seeks solace in a love affair with her co-star Nourou. Months later, they meet again at the film's premiere in Berlin. Old feelings resurface, but a racist incident unsettles their reunion. Tensions rise as everyone tries to do the right thing. While the ancient tragedy plays out on screen, a contemporary drama unfolds.

Critics Reviews

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Siddhant Adlakha Variety Oct 2
A smart, withheld story about the borders between people, Ulrich Köhler’s self-reflexive “Gavagai” chronicles on-set tensions between the cast and crew of a filmed update of “Medea” and subtle fissures caused by a racist skirmish during its premiere. Go to Full Review David Ehrlich IndieWire Oct 1
B-
“Gavagai” remains worthwhile because it constantly adds new dimensions to the question of who this -- or any -- film is “for” in a world where even the simplest gestures can be lost in translation, and every viewer is left to arrive at their own meaning. Go to Full Review Vadim Rizov Filmmaker Magazine Oct 17
Köhler’s a sneaky filmmaker, using conventional visual language and fully fleshed-out plotting to wrongfoot expectations in ways you couldn’t see coming, and it’s a pleasure to have him back for his first film in six years (!). Go to Full Review Michael Frank The Film Stage Oct 8
Köhler’s feature contains threads upon threads of commentary, wrapped in four languages and meta storytelling. His unwillingness to provide clarity for these characters serves as a strength and a weakness. Go to Full Review Hayley Croke Loud and Clear Reviews Oct 7
4/5
Gavagai mixes ancient tragedy with modern-day reality in a way that allows audience members to see that maybe we, as human beings, have not evolved as much as we like to think we have. Go to Full Review Frank J. Avella The Contending Oct 2
B+
Köhler delivers a thought-provoking meta work where the film-within-the-film is just as compelling as the film. Gavagai is an ambitious look at power, betrayal, infidelity, racism (and reverse racism) as well as feminism, both modern and ancient. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Ulrich Kohler

Director

Jean-Christophe Folly

Nourou

Maren Eggert

Maja

Nathalie Richard

Caroline

Anna Diakhere Thiandoum

Aïta

Mateusz Malecki

Kolakowski
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Gavagai

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Movie Info

Synopsis On the set of a turbulent shoot of a Medea adaptation in Senegal, Maja seeks solace in a love affair with her co-star Nourou. Months later, they meet again at the film's premiere in Berlin. Old feelings resurface, but a racist incident unsettles their reunion. Tensions rise as everyone tries to do the right thing. While the ancient tragedy plays out on screen, a contemporary drama unfolds.
Director
Ulrich Kohler
Producer
Ingmar Trost, Clément Duboin
Screenwriter
Ulrich Kohler
Production Co
Sutor Kolonko
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French
Runtime
1h 29m