Until the Birds Return

2017

1h 53m

Drama

List

75%

8 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Past and present collide in the lives of a newly wealthy property developer, an ambitious neurologist impeded by wartime wrongdoings and a young woman torn between the path of reason and sentiment.

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Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A Beautifully constructed film showcasing the lives of three people or three stories interconnected in the vastness of the Algerian landscape. This film gives us a clear peak into the life and times of these ordinary characters as they face the hardships of modern times. Karim Moussaoui gets right to the center of modern Algerian society touching upon it's civil war back drop and cultural contextual nature in such a fascinating manner. It's hard to not be invested in the central drama and conflict set against these characters within the film's concentrated three act structure. The film focuses on themes such as guilt, responsibility, love and honest living, aided by it's stunning cinematography to bring out it's deserted setting, fine direction, and well written and acted characters, it's the most unique cinematic experience I've from a country I've never really paid attention to let alone aware it even had much of a film industry.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Karim Moussaoui

Director

Mohamed Djouhri

Mourad

Sonia Mekkiou

Lila

Mehdi Ramdani

Djalil

Hania Amar

Aïcha

Chawki Amari

le père d'Aïcha

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Devika Girish

New York Times

As its characters traverse the country's crisscrossing motorways, "Until the Birds Return" locates the singular moments that form the nodes of a shared national history.

Apr 30, 2020

Full Review

Jordan Mintzer

Hollywood Reporter

An intriguing first feature from writer-director Karim Moussaoui that explores the damaged emotional landscape of his homeland.

May 23, 2017

Full Review

Harvey S. Karten

Big Apple Reviews

A trio of minimally connected stories amid the background of a prosperous looking Algeria.

Rated: B+

Apr 21, 2020

Full Review

Oktay Ege Kozak

Paste Magazine

The switch in narrative is so seamless and organic, the camera a fly on the wall that just happens to attach itself to the next random individual.

Rated: 7.8/10

Apr 15, 2020

Full Review

Kyle Kohner

The Playlist

Missing the crucial connective chord that ties it all together, the filmmaker inadvertently does a huge disservice to the culture he clearly holds so dearly.

Rated: D+

Oct 23, 2018

Full Review

Amber Wilkinson

Eye for Film

Like so many anthology films, it suffers from the fact that the sections are uneven, with the middle segment soaring high above the two bookend stories.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 29, 2018

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Synopsis

Past and present collide in the lives of a newly wealthy property developer, an ambitious neurologist impeded by wartime wrongdoings and a young woman torn between the path of reason and sentiment.

Director: Karim Moussaoui
Screenwriter: Karim Moussaoui, Maud Ameline
Production Co: CADC, arte France Cinéma, Les Films Pelléas, NiKo Film, Prolégomènes, MK2 Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 28, 2020
Runtime: 1h 53m

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