Film Movement have made their first Cannes purchase – picking up the Jury Prize winning pic Mahamat-Saleh Haroun‘s A Screaming Man and are setting it up for a first quarter release next year – with what I imagine will be a generous showings in film festivals in North America. The picture, which received its world premiere in the 2nd week of the festival received mixed reviews — but I had correctly predicted that the Chad film would be a prize winner with the Tim Burton jury.
This is the story of Adam, a 60-something former swimming champion, is a pool attendant at a hotel in Chad. When the hotel gets taken over by new Chinese owners, he is forced to give up his job to his son, Abdel, leaving Adam humiliated and resentful. Meanwhile the country is in the throes of civil war. Rebel forces attack the government while the authorities demand the population to contribute to the “war effort,” with money or volunteers old enough to fight. The District Chief constantly harasses Adam for his contribution. But Adam is penniless; he only has his son. In a moment of weakness, Adam makes a decision that he will forever regret.
