‘Timbuktu’ Tells a Story of Strength

French-Mauritanian drama film “Timbuktu” tells the story of a small town suffering through a brief occupation of militant Islamic fundamentalists. Told through the eyes of content cattle herder Kidane (played by Ibrahim Ahmed dit Pino) and his family, who watch helplessly from the outskirts of town as citizens are subjected to the jihadist’s unfair and cruel punishments such as death by stoning. Music, soccer, even cigarettes are banned, and are met with harsh punishment by anyone disobeying these new outlandish laws. Even subtle rebellions are met with twisted court sentences from these fierce people. Kidane soon finds himself caught in an unjust situation himself after accidentally killing a fisherman over a dispute about his cow, GPS. This lands Kidane in trouble with the local Islamic court, not knowing how his fate will be determined.

Director Abderrahmane Sissako is one of a few filmmakers from Sub-Saharan Africa to be known internationally. After reading about the appalling stoning of a young Malian couple who had children out-of-wedlock, he decided to make this film to shed more light on this particular part of the world. He points out that this film isn’t intended to change anything but rather to help people understand what is going on in this region, specifically the issues that arise when a town is taken over by extremists. According to ArtsBeat (2014), Sissako stated that he wanted to have “fully realized characters” for the role of the Islamist, since it shows a much more truthful version of this reality. This is his third feature film shown at the Cannes Film Festival dealing with the themes of globalism and the displacement of people.

Beautifully filmed on location in Timbuktu and Mauritania, this is a film based on the heavy reality of the cruel Islamic fundamentalists forced occupation upon this town. The punishments shown are unnerving mainly because they actually happened to real people. Sissako was even brought to tears during an interview after a viewing. Through his visual storytelling, he shares this brave story.

Timbuktu opens in theaters nationwide Jan. 28