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On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

Play trailer 2:04 Poster for On Becoming a Guinea Fowl PG-13 In Theaters Mar 7, 2025 1h 35m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 45 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified 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.
Coming Soon In Theaters Mar 7, 2025 Notify Me
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

View All (45) Critics Reviews
Tara Brady Irish Times With the cinematographer David Gallego, the sound designer Olivier Dandré and a superb ensemble cast, Nyoni has crafted indelible tableaux, powered by dark survivors’ humour, blistering originality and retaliatory fury. Rated: 4/5 Dec 12, 2024 Full Review Danny Leigh Financial Times But if the movie keeps us at a distance, it also knocks us off balance to bracing effect. Nyoni has a powerfully dreamlike touch. Rated: 4/5 Dec 7, 2024 Full Review Caroline Siede Girl Culture (Substack) We’ve all heard (or lived through) real-life stories of families protecting their problematic men over the safety of their daughters. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is a slow-burn battle cry for a new way forward. Rated: B+ Nov 1, 2024 Full Review David Parkinson Radio Times The cast is exemplary, as are the cinematography and sound design that keep the viewer engaged and agitated, as a hidebound family blithely tears itself apart. Rated: 4/5 Dec 21, 2024 Full Review Hilary A White Sunday Independent (Ireland) Nyoni has an eye not only for the absurd but also the political, with fleeting but telling moments of cultural chauvinism stirred into the busy diorama. Rated: 4/5 Dec 17, 2024 Full Review Jim Ross TAKE ONE Magazine Nyoni's feature is a slow-paced film but one with a unique and exacting grasp on tone. As the film opens, it may seem as daft as a coot, but the powerful perspective of ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL is delivered with an eagle eye. Dec 10, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews
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On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

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Movie Info

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
Runtime
1h 35m