Our Father

2002

1h 24m

Drama

List

93%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Brothers Armine (Hamza Moctar Aguid) and Tahir (Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa) are devastated when their father deserts them. Together, they search for him all over their small town in Chad -- and believe they find him onscreen in one of the movies at the local cinema! After they get caught stealing the film, the boys' exasperated mother, Achta (Zara Haroun), packs them off to a strict boarding school. While the pair plan their escape, Tahir catches the eye of a mute girl (Mounira Khalil).

Fred Camper

Chicago Reader

The starkly elegant compositions underline the existential nature of the brothers' plight: it will be entirely up to them to make something of their lives.

Feb 14, 2020

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 3/5

Mar 16, 2004

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Megan Lehmann

New York Post

Suffers from largely rudderless direction, relying for any sense of profundity on the breathtaking beauty of Abraham Haile Biru's cinematography.

Rated: 2/4

Feb 20, 2004

Full Review

PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Functions partly as a sly critique of the seeming prohibition and obsolescence of an authentic African gaze in world cinema.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 15, 2019

Full Review

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Gorgeously photographed, thematically complex and nothing if not ambitious, but strangely lacking in emotional punch.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 29, 2006

Full Review

Kent Turner

Film-Forward.com

With its use of nonprofessional actors and actual locations, this is neorealism via Chad. However, Abouna is more moving to describe than it is to watch.

Rated: 2.75/5

Apr 9, 2004

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Audience Member

(*** 1/2): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] An immensely likeable and well-made film about two brothers growing up in Africa. The two leads are well-cast and I found the direction to be brilliant.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A perfect film from the Republic of Chad.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

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Audience Member

Winning performances by the two young actors overcome a sometimes slow-moving script.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

While I liked Haroun's film Daratt a bit more for its thematic depth, this simple story of two brothers' fight for survival reveals his talent and skill as a filmmaker. I loved the chemistry of the two brothers, the occasional insertion of dry humor, and the underlying sense of hope. Haroun's film charts both the loss of one's old identity and the search for a new one in the face of cataclysmic change. As in life, some will fail, while others persevere.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Abouna means "our father", an original piece of gem about family and freedom telling from the angle of two young brothers who were abandoned by their father, then given up by their mother.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A very moving piece of African cinema, the central drama is engaging and well acted by the two young boys. It might not be wholly original in execution, but Abouna is a joyous slice of African cinema.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

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Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

Director

Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa

Tahir

Hamza Moctar Aguid

Amine

Zara Haroun

Achta

Mounira Khalil

The Mute Girl

Koulsy Lamko

The Father

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Synopsis

Brothers Armine (Hamza Moctar Aguid) and Tahir (Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa) are devastated when their father deserts them. Together, they search for him all over their small town in Chad -- and believe they find him onscreen in one of the movies at the local cinema! After they get caught stealing the film, the boys' exasperated mother, Achta (Zara Haroun), packs them off to a strict boarding school. While the pair plan their escape, Tahir catches the eye of a mute girl (Mounira Khalil).

Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Screenwriter: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (DVD): May 17, 2005
Runtime: 1h 24m
Sound Mix: Surround