Un Homme Qui Crie aka A Screaming Man, written and directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun Seven out of 10

Un Homme Qui Crie aka A Screaming Man, written and directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

Seven out of 10

This is a remarkable, if not overwhelming film.

Your chance to see a Chadian film is here!

Furthermore, it is not just a banal, modest fare from a land that would probably not give another chance to enjoy one of its productions too soon, but it is a motion picture that has one of the most prestigious awards in the cinema industry, at the Cannes Film Festival:

The Jury Prize

The narrative of A Screaming Man is compelling heartbreaking.

It is emphasized that people in the West, or North, depending on how you want to put it, are not very concerned with what happens in less developed lands.

When there is a terrorist attack in Paris, Berlin or Barcelona, even if there are few victims, it reaches the headlines; CNN and other major networks cover this.

On the other hand, it multitudes, hundreds or even thousands die in Afghanistan, CAR – the Central African Republic – these calamities do not make the news.

This is changing though.

We learn about casualties in Iraq – however, that is the order of the day in some violent territories, it is no longer “news” if murders take place daily, in big numbers, like in Honduras.

Adam Ousmane is a former swimming champion that now works in a rather posh hotel in N’Djamena, capital of Chad.

Unfortunately, the under signed feels that the actor plays the leading role does not have the charisma, the magnetism or something else needed to create a character we sympathize with.

The hotel is taken over by the Chinese, who are investing heavily in Africa, without questioning the human rights situation, not caring if there are abuses.

That makes sense, from the perspective of a communist system, which is actually based on:

“All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others”

We know that here, because we have “thoroughly enjoyed” what the soviets have brought over.

The Chinese owners of the N’Djamena hotel ask how many people are needed at the pool that is in the care of Adam Ousmane and his son, Abdel.

They then decide to send him at the gate and let the son care for the pool, firing others.

A cuisinier is so affected that he ends up in the hospital, where he talks about the love he gave with his work.

That is impressive.

The civil war ravaging the country is constantly mentioned at the radio that the hero listens to.

The son, Abdel Ousmane has to go to fight.

His girlfriend comes to the father and she is pregnant, carrying his grandson or granddaughter.

When the news from the frontline arrives, they are so bad that the protagonist decides to take his motorcycle in what looks like the desert to find his son.

He is stopped harassed and for a while, it looks like he may be killed by the regular army, although it could have been the other side as well.

Let us stop here and just conclude that, although the film has its evident merits, the performance of the leading man is not very convincing, at least seen from here.