Fresh
This masterwork by Ousmane Sembene, the 81-year-old father of African cinema and one of Senegal's greatest novelists, is the second film in a trilogy celebrating African women.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
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Moolaadé
Overview
When a woman shelters a group of girls from suffering female genital mutilation, she starts a conflict that tears her village apart.
Director and cast
- Ousmane Sembène Director
- Fatoumata Coulibaly as Collé Gallo Ardo Sy
- Maimouna Hélène Diarra as Hadjatou
- Salimata Traoré as Amasatou
- Dominique Zeïda as Mercenaire
- Rasmané Ouédraogo as Ciré Bathily
- Joseph Traoré as Dugutigi
- Théophile Sowié as Ibrahima
- Balla Habib Dembélé as Sacristain
- Gustave Sorgho as Bakary
- Moussa Sanogo as Konaté fils
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
99%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Ousmane, who wrote and directs, gives strong flavors to his characterization of village life and its peoples. But as drama the film mostly serves to illustrate the two sides of this crucial social debate in Africa.
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Fresh
Though Moolaade doesn't shy away from the task of educating its viewers about the brutality of 'purification,' it works equally well as a tribute to righteous defiance wherever it surfaces.
Keith Phipps, AV Club
Fresh
It's certainly clear where the director stands on the issue, but underneath is a far richer film about the complex issues of globalization and the values of tradition.
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
Fresh
A story told in music, vivid imagery and ritualistic movement.
Susan Walker, Toronto Star
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