47. Lingui, The Sacred Bonds; movie review

 

LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS

Cert 15

88 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence

There is nothing more powerful than a mother's love for her child and rarely has it been as clearly expressed as during Lingui, The Sacred Bonds

It has been more than a decade since I watched a movie from Chad, so it was a pleasure to immerse myself in the culture of this poor African nation.

Here we find Amina (Achouackh Abakar Souleymane), a proud Muslim upon whom society looks down because she is a single mother.

She and her daughter, Maria (Rihane Khalil Alio), live in little more than a shack but Amina is still determined the 15-year-old should have all she can give her.

Therefore, her world falls apart when she discovers that her her daughter has been expelled from school after falling pregnant.

Even worse, the lass wants to have an abortion which is outlawed in Chad and goes completely against her religion.

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's movie has several strands - essentially it refers to the sacred bond of mother and daughter but it also touches upon the lack of support of women, the power of religious leaders and the backward approach of society towards unplanned pregnancy.

Ultimately, Maria is given little or no chance to explain her circumstance and, only when she finally is given space to muster up the courage, do the scales begin to weigh in her favour.

Lingui, The Sacred Bonds's evocative story is skilfully told by Haroun and executed expertly by Souleymane and Alio.

The audiences heart reaches out to the mother and daughter who find themselves up against society as well as individuals.

It also provided a rare and welcome insight into an impoverished African nation.

Reasons to watch: Evocative story and a rare Chad movie release

Reasons to avoid: Upsetting scenes

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? The cinema of Chad is small though growing. ... The film industry suffered severely in the 1970s-80s as Chad became engulfed in a series of civil wars and foreign military interventions; film production stopped, and all the cinemas in Chad closed down

The final word. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun: "A set of principles laid down by the authority are seen absolute truths. It drives religious leaders. But women carry and pass on memory and life experience that is more ferocious than the dominant debate around these prohibitions." Indie Wire

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