You Will Die at Twenty

As a Sudanese guy living in UAE, I have seen the movie in a special screening in Dubai and I was happy with the many nationalities attended. The movie gives the perfect come of age story in the beautiful culture of Sudan with all the religion believes & north eastern African life style & culture. All the world will get to know the true meaning of life in Sudan.

At the first sigh, a story about death. Remembering Old Greek tragedy. In essence, a beautiful, in profound sense, story about life. A boy, the word of a religious leader, the fear of father, the tension defining the life of mother, a love remaining only delicate sketch and the magnificent end. A film so rich in symbols and definitions than is unfair to precise its levels. But, more important, a great example of the force of talent of director. A film from Sudan. Admirable in each of its meanings.

A master scene in every scene . In a country like Sudan religious beliefs symbols the shape of the daily life .. Muzmail was one of many victims of that understanding . The Director Amjad Abualila used that to express the vivid and clear impact of Souffism on most of the people of Sudan . Even the most educated people also believe in Souffism and it's preachers .

This is my first ever review and I may not know well about review ethics but I felt to write one because I felt this movie.

A pure reflection of cultural and religious realities faced in adolescence, beautifully directed and acted. It was very interesting to discover while watching this movie that my childhood has been through all these moments and happenings even the houses and festivals they celebrate in Sudan, and I am from Pakistan.

Thank you for this amazing movie.

Love and Prayers for Africa.

Death influences life in You Will Die at 20, only the eighth film in the history of Sudanese cinema. As mind-boggling as that trivia sounds, the social drama highlights the existence of superstition and blind faith in the roots of civilization in the African country of Sudan where a child born just a few days ago is thought to be cursed by a messenger of God and who prophecies that he will die the day he turns 20. The mother of the child, with her striking droopy eyes and without support from her timid husband, takes on the job of caring for her son and counting the days up to his death which she is hugely concerned about and also still very sure about. The coming-of-age container of the film then takes you through the struggle of this young boy who is outcast as the superstition lets people germinate the idea of his death into the idea of a cursed birth. The boy lives as if death is waiting for him, even wondering if his death will be by drowning and if the time he spent in his mother's womb will be counted. It's so powerful in its delivery that you gape at certain sequences, whether it is when her mother goes and scribbles on a wall at the end of a week that her son has lived a week more (because she does not have a calendar) or the time when his friends ask him to die sooner because he is going to die anyway or when the people around him think memorizing the holy book is better than learning mathematics. Bit slow in parts but always magnificent, You Will Die at 20 is a film that must be watched because Sudan has stories to tell and it needs people to hear and watch them. The main score by Amin Bouhafa is heartbreaking. TN.

(Watched and reviewed at its India premiere at the 21st MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)