Timbuktu (2014)

Masterful Cinema

As Good As It Gets

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Since hearing about it during Oscar season a few years ago, Timbuktu has been a film I've been interested to see,but unable to due to not being able to find a DVD of it. Looking to see what was about to be removed from Netflix UK,I was surprised to find the title! I got set to at last see this Oscar nom title.The plot:Entering Timbuktu,a group of ISIS fighters declare that they are taking over the land,and that everyone must follow their version of Sharia law. Driving round the villages,ISIS force the public to follow the Sharia law,from not playing with a football to no one being allowed to be in a room with a person of the other sex. As ISIS start controlling every aspect in the running of the area,local residence begin trying to speak to the fighters contradictions.View on the film:Remarkably being the first film shot in Mauritania, (standing in for Timbuktu) co-writer/(with Kessen Tall) director Abderrahmane Sissako & cinematographer Sofian El Fani draws lines in the sand with a remarkable poetic quality,from shimmering wide shots looking across the divide of the town via the river,to haunting shots of ISIS fighters standing on roofs to locate people play music illegally. Carefully using Amin Bouhafa's gentle score to give an unsettling calm, Sissako superbly follows the daily battle/grind the residences have with long takes which have a documentary grit.Partly based on the killing of a couple in Aguelhok (northern Mali) by Islamist group Ansar Dine,the screenplay by Sissako and Tall brilliantly examines every area of Timbuktu affected by ISIS's arrival with multiple threads following individuals allowing for a full picture of the horror to emerge. Following a very important current issue,the writers give the dialogue an excellent balance between an almost documentary feel and a sharp poetic quality unveiled in the residence exposing the stark contradictions of the extremists with voices of anger,and a compassionate plea for freedom.

This movie was very slow paced, something that swayed me to dislike the film. One of the reasons it was so slow was because not everyone spoke the same language, so there was always a need for a translator in a conversation. This movie takes place in the Middle of the desert in Mali, where there is a group of jihadi extremists who are controlling the area. The extremists run a tight law system that goes too far for no reason, an example being that there is no singing allowed in the city. After a girl was caught singing, she got 80 lashes to the back, quite over the top. But I think that the producers of this film were able to show what a real extremist group would be like, always having guns, enforcing every little thing to the way they see it best. The way the movie ended was sorta random and quick, it didn't give me the closure that I wanted to see. The Dad dies, then the mom shows up and gets shot right away, then after that there's a "high-speed" scooter chase. And then we don't get to see how that ends, which aggravated me a little.

This is the second time I have watched the film Timbuktu. I did not enjoy this film the first time watching it. I also did not like the film the second time I watched it. I thought the film was kinda boring to be honest, it was also a very slow film. The only thing that I did not understand was at the end of the film the wife gets on a motorcycle and the guy hands her a gun. She goes to see her husband but when she gets off the motorcycle and the husband and wife run at each other they are both shot to death. Why are they both shot to death? I didn't see her pull the gun out and try to shoot anyone. One quality of this film that lets you know that it is not American is the fact that it is such a slow movie. Religion seems to be very important in the culture of these people because everything they do has to be acceptable under Shariah law other wise they are sent to prison. I feel violence is used in a lot in this culture but not until they have proved that is completely necessary. They said that if you are found to have committed adultery that you would be stoned to death. So as harsh as this sounds, just don't commit adultery and you will not die. It is as easy as that. Its wrong that they are putting all these rules upon their people but if they just follow them then everything will be alright.

Powerful, evocative & thoroughly engrossing, Timbuktu is a riveting portrait of life under regime of terror that brilliantly illustrates the absurdity of extremist mentality in a sardonic manner while also showcasing the hypocrisy of the Jihadists who themselves are unable to live up to the rules they so blatantly like to impose on the general population.Timbuktu covers everyday life in the titular city of Mali which is under the occupation of Islamists & covers the harsh life its residents are forced to live for all leisurely activities are forbidden. The plot centres on a cattle herder & his family who live on the outskirts of the city & are typically free from those terrorists' interference but an unexpected incident abruptly changes their fate.Co-written & directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, Timbuktu tackles a provocative subject matter in a very serene manner by sidelining the barbaric brutality that's inflicted by terrorists upon civilians on a daily basis and instead focuses on the human condition within an oppressed regime. Sissako's direction exhibits terrific restraint but the script is unable to fill all the voids that exist in between.The desolate locations & deserted set pieces evoke a grim environment with nearly no signs of life, camera is effectively utilised to capture all the unfolding drama in a clear, concise manner, Editing however is a mixed bag for the subsidiary scenes are more engaging than the basic plot, its 96 minutes of runtime feels overly stretched, and music makes its presence felt only when it is required.Coming to the performances, the entire cast does really well in bringing their characters to life with utmost sincerity & what further helps their act is that the people they play aren't mere caricatures, thanks to some sensible writing. Despite its grim tone, the graphic violence is kept at bay for the most part and where it leaves its mark is in moments that demonstrate the jihadists' oppressive tactics to control people's lives & faith.On an overall scale, Timbuktu is a patiently structured, beautifully layered & surprisingly unbiased observation of radicalism & its devastating effects on the lives it touches upon. Skilfully directed & smartly scripted, its arrival is undoubtedly timely but what's even more admirable is the fact that it dares to portray those zealots for what they are; humans, blinded by single-minded ideologies but humans nonetheless. Adding more grey shades to what appears black n white from afar, Timbuktu is worthy of a wider audience.