On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

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On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

PG-13

Released Mar 7

1h 35m

Comedy

Drama

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100%

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98 Reviews

69%

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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.

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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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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

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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

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Cody Allen

Geek Vibes Nation

The horror here is not the violence itself—it is the indifference to that violence, the way it is normalized, concealed, and perpetuated by the very people who should be standing against it.

Rated: 9/10

Jul 18, 2025

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Derrick Murray

NERDBOT

“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” is a transcendent cultural commentary that digs deep into the clashes between deep religious tradition and generational trauma.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 16, 2025

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Anna Hoang

Boston Hassle

Filmed in Zambia and spoken mostly in Bemba, the story is grounded in customs, which ends up working as a curious and ultimately effective gameplay to audiences unfamiliar with the region.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 12, 2025

Full Review

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Roman

Damn, ow, fantastic but ooooowwwww.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/25

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Christy L

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/27/25

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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

alan g

Small art film critics liked because it is a black film. Slow intense but ultimately unsatisfying.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

Full Review

MB C

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is an unflinching portrait of generational trauma and communal silence. Set during a tense funeral, the film slowly unravels dark family secrets that have long been buried under cultural taboos and social shame. Director Rungano Nyoni crafts a visually restrained but thematically heavy drama that examines complicity, denial, and the emotional weight of unsaid truths. While the film’s symbolic richness and somber realism are powerful, its slow pacing and over-reliance on suggestion can feel emotionally distant. Still, it remains a haunting call for those silenced to finally be heard.......

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/07/25

Full Review

Mike V

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is a 2024 black comedy drama film written and directed by Rungano Nyoni 🐦 Not bad, but not my favourite either 😉 It’s ok, but I feel mixed about this one 😉 I’d recommend it if you like this genre, but if not then probably give it a miss 👍🏼👎🏼 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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

Full Review

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On Becoming a Guinea Fowl: Trailer 1

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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

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