Guelwaar

Released Jan 6, 1995

1h 55m

Comedy

Drama

List

100%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

86%

Audience Score

50+ Ratings

As funeral preparations begin for Pierre Henri "Guelwaar" Thioune (Thierno Ndiaye), rumor spreads that his death may have been an assassination in retaliation for his radical political beliefs and constant criticism of the current regime. When the heroic Guelwaar's cadaver is stolen, his Francophile son, Barthelemy (Ndiawar Diop), contacts the authorities. As Detective Gora (Omar Seck) begrudgingly investigates, he discovers that Guelwaar was a complicated man guilty of his own share of sins.

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

Sembne, with a tense restraint, evokes a dependent country that maintains its dignity through nationalist pomp and local pride, and portrays one long-suffering family that bears Senegal's burdens in microcosm.

Apr 1, 2013

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Through Sembne's wry attention to detail, we observe a great many things about village life that would otherwise pass unnoticed.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 24, 2003

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Alternately wise and very funny in its treatment of tribalism and in its grasp of neocolonial corruption.

May 24, 2003

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Guelwaar's sharp indictments—whether primarily dramatic or comic—still sting, despite (or perhaps because of) their usual surface of even-toned social realism

Mar 4, 2024

Full Review

TV Guide

The renowned Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene reconfirms his stature both as a master storyteller and a distinctively humanitarian artist.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 22, 2007

Full Review

Film4 Staff

Film4

A funny, articulate and moving satire on the state of modern Africa.

May 24, 2003

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Audience Member

Rough and essential Senegalese document of aid and corruption brings drama and exposition to a snapshot of 1992's hope and despair.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Rough and essential Senegalese document of aid and corruption brings drama and exposition to a snapshot of 1992's hope and despair.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

walter m

[font=Century Gothic]"Guelwaar" starts with Aloys(Mustapha Diop) informing his sister(Marie-Augustine Diatta) and mother(Mame Ndoumbe Diop) that his father, Pierre Henri Thioune(Thierno Ndiaye), a Catholic activist, aka Guelwaar, has died. His brother, Barthelemy(Ndiawar Diop), is taking care of the burial details which reach a snag when the body cannot be found at the morgue. He contacts Gora(Omar Seck), the local police chief, who tracks the body to the village of Baye Aly(Omar Gueye) where it was mistakenly buried in a Moslem cemetary.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]With "Guelwaar," Ousmane Sembene aims to show the state of chaos that his home country of Senegal is in by dramatizing how a minor bureaucratic mistake can quickly get out of hand.(Not to mention how silly religion is.) But in the end, he does have a great deal of hope that the people will find pride in themselves and not demean themselves by begging.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]And politicians being opportunistic bastards seem to be a universal phenomenon.[/font] [font=Century Gothic] [/font]

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Ousmane Sembene

Director

Omar Seck

Gora

Ndiawar Diop

Barthelemy

Mame Ndoumbe Diop

Nogoy Marie Thioune

Isseu Niang

Helene

Mustapha Diop

Actor

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Synopsis

As funeral preparations begin for Pierre Henri "Guelwaar" Thioune (Thierno Ndiaye), rumor spreads that his death may have been an assassination in retaliation for his radical political beliefs and constant criticism of the current regime. When the heroic Guelwaar's cadaver is stolen, his Francophile son, Barthelemy (Ndiawar Diop), contacts the authorities. As Detective Gora (Omar Seck) begrudgingly investigates, he discovers that Guelwaar was a complicated man guilty of his own share of sins.

Director: Ousmane Sembene
Distributor: New Yorker Films
Production Co: Galatee Films, Channel IV, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, New Yorker Films, France 3 Cinéma, Doomireew
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: French (Canada)
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 6, 1995, Wide
Runtime: 1h 55m