Customer Reviews

A Screaming Man

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First things first, I've been a long-time follower and fan of the Film Movement library of foreign and indie movies. When I saw this recently, I picked it up, literally not knowing anything about the movie, but the "Film Movement" stamp on this movie was enough for me. Glad I picked it up.

"A Screaming Man" (Un Homme Qui Crie) (originally released in 2010; 91 min.) brings the tale of a father and son who are both working as pool attendants/care takers at a plosh hotel in Chad. The hotel changes ownership, and as a result the father is relegated to hotel security guard (while the son remains the pool care taker). But things get complicated further in a hurry, as the Chad government, fighting a rebel uprising, is looking for more "volunteers" for its army, and the son is volunteered/drafted. After the son goes into the army, the son's pregnant girlfriend arrives at the scene. The country drifts into ever more greater chaos. I won't give more away of the plot, you'll just have to see for it yourself how it all plays out.

I thought this was a great movie, which gripped me from start to finish. No, this isn't for everyone, as this is most definitely not your standard Hollywood fare. This movie won the 2010 Cannes "Jury Award", and it's easy to see why. Great story, great performances all around. If you are a movie buff of foreign and indie movies, you'll love this. Thank you to Film Movement for releasing this on the US market.

A very nicely done film regarding a man's relationship with his adult son, with his country, his job, his wife, and, sadly, with himself, which presents the central dilemma and ultimate tragedy.

Each actor's role was well chosen by the director with understanding and creativity. The pacing is nicely timed to enable one's reflection.

With today's fresh headlines concerning many revolutions taking place all over the world, "Screaming Man" is all the more recommended.