White Shadow

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White Shadow

2013

1h 57m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Alias, a young albino, goes on the run when witch doctors arrive to harvest his organs for their potions.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

At the heart of all this artistry lies a touching story of friendship, new love, and recurrent loss, anchored by a bravura performance by lead Bazili, a non-professional actor of immense promise.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 19, 2015

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Ben Taylor

Guardian

White Shadow does not shy away either from graphic violence or from complexity. Alias's story is told with honesty and with nuance. There is hope, humanity and beauty here as well as fear and brutality. The result is powerful and moving.

Mar 19, 2015

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Guy Lodge

Variety

Noaz Deshe makes a staggering debut with this drama about the African albino muti trade.

Feb 1, 2014

Full Review

Fausto Ponce

Proceso

A movie that's worth watching only if you're a hardcore cinema fan with a taste for unconventional films. [full review in Spanish]

Jun 25, 2015

Full Review

Alejandra Alarcón Cervantes

En la butaca

This is not a movie for those who want to go to the theater to relax and eat popcorn. [full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/5

Jun 25, 2015

Full Review

Oscar Uriel

Cinema Tradicional

White Shadow is a movie you shouldn't miss because of its strong message. [full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/4

Jun 25, 2015

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Audience Member

This film is powerful. A good one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Devastatingly beautiful.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A comparacion de Tanzania, El Salvador es Suiza! No puedo creer que gobiernos, religiones, autoridades y demas se unan para buscar albinos negros y destazarlos para usar sus partes de amuletos. Y lo mas cruel es que la película se queda corta por que la realidad es mas cruda. La maldad humana en su máxima expresión... muy cruda, pero real.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This tale of survival is a surreal journey into the darkest depths of human behavior. White Shadow is based on real circumstances in Eastern Africa in which the demand for the body parts of albino's (for the purpose of which craft & medicine) is so high that a body can fetch up to $100,000. The film that immediately comes to mind after watching White Shadow is Upstream Color though the film also has worldview and tone that brings to mind Jose Saramago's classic novel Blindness. This sounds like high praise and, in a sense, it is. White Shadow is a gorgeously shot film and is littered with moments that elicit a visceral emotional reaction from its audience. Unfortunately, the editing needed to be tightened, the rhythm of the film is uneven in comparison to Upstream. Still, worth seeing if you a fan of abstract cinema... a most memorable viewing experience.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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Noaz Deshe

Director

Hamisi Bazili

Alias

Salum Abdallah

Salum

Riziki Ally

Mother

James Gayo

Kosmos

Glory Mbayuwayu

Antoinette

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Synopsis

Alias, a young albino, goes on the run when witch doctors arrive to harvest his organs for their potions.

Director: Noaz Deshe
Producer: Noaz Deshe, Ginevra Elkann, Babak Jalali, Matthias Luthardt
Screenwriter: Noaz Deshe, James Masson
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Swahili
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 28, 2016
Runtime: 1h 57m

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