Keswick Film Festival

Synopsis

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's latest film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes and is the third of his films to be shown in Keswick ('Abouna' in 2003 and 'A Screaming Man' in 2011) "A perennial festival favourite, Haroun's deeply humanist films generally explore facets of manhood in his home country of Chad. Taking a chance outside his comfort zone, with 'Lingui, The Sacred Bonds' Haroun focuses on the strength and resilience of women in the face of a dangerously patriarchal society.

Living on the outskirts of N'Djamena, we meet Amina a single mother who was cut off by her family for having a child out of wedlock. When her daughter Maria, now 15, is expelled from school after also becoming pregnant the two face the event together. Abandoned by the father, Maria wants an abortion—illegal in Chad and forbidden by their religion—so that she can return to school and get her future back on track. Unlike her family, Amina does not turn her back on her daughter, but rather does everything she can to secure the health services she requires.

Souleymane's performance is tender and raw, seething under the surface with the anger she carried all these years for the community that exiled her, but also buoyed by the deep love she feels for her daughter. Through Amina and Maria's journey to reproductive freedom, Haroun both shines a light on the strict patriarchal laws of the country, but also the powerful connections women form to help each other survive within them" -Marya E Gates, RogerEbert.com.