Fresh
Manages to delight without much of a story.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
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Waiting for Happiness
Overview
Before immigrating to the West, Abdallah travels to the coastal city of Nouadhibou, Mauritania, to visit his mother. Although he grew up there, Abdallah feels anything but at home in his old neighborhood: he can no longer speak the local dialect and he wears western clothes that immediately cast him as an outsider. But, as Abdallah spends time with a young boy and an elderly electrician, he can't help but feel a sense of loss for the life he's abandoning.
Director and cast
- Abderrahmane Sissako Director
- Khatra Ould Abder Kader as Khatra
- Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid as Maata
- Mohamed Mahmoud Ould as Abdallah
- Nana Diakité as Nana
- Fatimetou Mint Ahmeda as Soukeyna, the mother
- Makanfing Dabo as Makan
- Santha Leng as Tchu
- Baba Ould Mini as Sidi
- Mickaël Onoimweniku as Mickaël
- Diallo Ibrahima Sory as Diallo
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
78%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Though talk in the film often turns to death, Khatra's enthusiasm and love of life keep the movie surprisingly upbeat.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
Rotten
A film that will be best appreciated by those willing to endure its extremely languorous rhythms, Waiting for Happiness is ultimately thoughtful without having much dramatic impact.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Fresh
Takes you by the face, strokes your cheeks and coos beseechingly at you: slow down, shake off your tensions and take this picture at its own breezy, distracted rhythms.
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times
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