On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

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2:04

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

PG-13

Mar 2025

1h 35m

Comedy

Drama

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100%

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103 Reviews

67%

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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

Full Review

Andrew Kendall

Stabroek News

What becomes thrilling about how Nyoni weaves the story in “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” is how it slowly pulls back the curtain to both affirm and problematise our assumptions of where we assume it might lead.

Sep 19, 2025

Full Review

John Serba

Decider

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is a powerful drama with a distinctively strong and original voice and vision.

Sep 10, 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

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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

Trevor G

I’m not sure why this movie is getting nearly perfect reviews. It wasn’t bad, but I’m not sure I’d say it was good either. It was quite slow and could have benefited from explaining a couple things. The acting was great though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/18/25

Full Review

Ry N

When it’s revealed that a family’s late uncle was a predator, the movie takes a serious tone through the scope of Zambian culture. The film was pretty good, just very so slow.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/29/25

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

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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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