On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

Play trailer

2:04

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

PG-13

Released Mar 7

1h 35m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

101 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family, in filmmaker Rungano Nyoni's surreal and vibrant reckoning with the lies we tell ourselves.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

A vibrant exploration of family and social mores, On Becoming a Guineau Fowl marks another superb effort from writer-director Rungano Nyoni.

Read Critics Reviews

Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is a reckoning, and Nyoni proves to be a force as a filmmaker.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 12, 2025

Full Review

Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (LAist)

It feels so specific and also universal, which are my favorite kinds of movies.

May 9, 2025

Full Review

Dwight Brown

DwightBrownInk.com

Gets more thoughtful and empowering by the minute. A modern fable. A fable that’s a treasure.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 20, 2025

Full Review

Patrick Beatty

ABC4 Utah

This is a tough but powerful watch that explores family dynamics, cultural traditions, and generational trauma being broken for the sake of truth and progress.

Sep 7, 2025

Full Review

Stephanie Malone

Morbidly Beautiful

Best experienced with minimal context, this hauntingly beautiful film unravels the chilling cost of silence, the weight of tradition, and the ways women are too often blamed to protect the men who hurt them. Go in cold. Come out changed.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 28, 2025

Full Review

Clotilde Chinnici

Movies We Texted About

Overall, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is a well-made film that touches on an important, yet not often spoken about, topic with a gentle and human feeling to it.

Jul 26, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

Roman

Damn, ow, fantastic but ooooowwwww.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/25

Full Review

Christy L

Compelling story about death and cultural rituals in an entirely different setting.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/27/25

Full Review

Roy J

The sexual assault plot is hard-hitting, but I also found the Zambia culture depicted in the movie to be very compelling. Glad A24 distributed this African movie in the US.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/11/25

Full Review

Alec B

I desperately wish the movie didn't feel the need to underline the meaning of the title over and over again.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/25

Full Review

Benson G

The main character of On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Shula, is quietly compelling, an appropriate guide into a film dealing with serious emotions in a naturalistic, matter-of-fact, and often deadpan-humorous way. I would call the movie primarily a drama, but I also laughes out loud sometimes. The film's humor, its gradual and believeable reveals, and its view of life for a group of women in Zambia are what kept me watching, even as the subject matter gradually became more serious. Well, and also - it's a movie with an artistic flair. Many shots delight. The narrative is creatively constructed. The acting is top-notch. Everyone, and everything, feel so real. By the end, I deeply cared about the characters. It's also a movie in which everything comes together powerfully for the viewer as the cinematic experience draws toward its close. The ending is an artistic statement as well - somewhat jarring for me, but all in all effective. I was left feeling that I came away with rewards and satisfactions that, while different from more conventionally structured films, are at least as great. My heart had expanded a bit to include the real people I've never known, whose stories have been distilled into the fictional ones now part of my life.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/30/25

Full Review

Dani R

it's a slice of life kinda movie. the acting is on point and very authentic. Susan chardy carried the entire movie. The "comedy" i guess is the sheer absurdity of the social rules displayed, with uncovering unspeakable things but noone seems to care, do something about it and even blames the most hurt. It was a little unsatisfying but i somewhat feel it's on purpose.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/20/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Rungano Nyoni

Director

Susan Chardy

Shula

Roy Chisha

Uncle Fred

Blessings Bhamjee

Young Shula

Chungu Bwalya

Farm Club Presenter #1

Maggie Mulubwa

Farm Club Presenter #2

Knives Out

97%

92%

Knives Out

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Knives Out

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

91%

92%

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

The Penguin Lessons

78%

95%

The Penguin Lessons

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Penguin Lessons

The Old Man & the Gun

93%

66%

The Old Man & the Gun

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Old Man & the Gun

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

99%

94%

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

8 Upcoming Titles from Black Filmmakers in 2025

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl: Trailer 1

2:04

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family, in filmmaker Rungano Nyoni's surreal and vibrant reckoning with the lies we tell ourselves.

Director: Rungano Nyoni
Producer: Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Tim Cole
Screenwriter: Rungano Nyoni
Distributor: A24
Production Co: A24, BBC Film, Element Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Sexual Abuse|Suggestive References|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 7, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 8, 2025
Runtime: 1h 35m

Most Popular at Home Now