Platicsco
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
Kimball
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
logatherum
Although this movie was fairly slow-paced, I did not mind it because it really made the movie that much more personal. I don't think that we realize how much time alone as humans we actually have, and how much silence we actually have in our lives, and this movie was basically a reflection of that. It seemed slow because we are used to seeing fast- paced American movies that are made to keep your attention. During this movie, I was not entertained the entire time, but that is okay, because we are not entertained in everyday life all the time. I felt bad for Adam because he was so sad, and I could tell he felt really bad for sending Abdel into the military. Although I do not agree with his choice to do that, I can understand why he did it, since he was in a bad state of mind, and also very poor. Sometimes people make choices in the moment for their own benefit, that they do not know will turn out badly, which is what I think Adam did, but he didn't mean to make things worse. I didn't like, however, when Abdel's girlfriend was crying on the bed and he covered her mouth, muting her screams. At first, I thought he was trying to kill her or hurt her in some way, which made me uncomfortable. I did like the scene when he put Abdel's body into the water, and it faded out. I thought that was a really pretty and peaceful way to end such a thoughtful movie.
Cameron Crawford
Adam is a swimming champion, who has spent his entire life at or in the pool. His son, Abdel, also loves to swim, seeing as his father raised him to be a swimmer. When the Chinese take control of the luxury hotel that Adam works at, the manager decides to make Abdel the the pool attendant instead of Adam. This crushes Adam, because he lives for the pool. During the time of this happening, a civil war is going on in Chad. The army comes to draft, and they choose to draft Abdel. Adam does nothing about it, because he wants his job of pool attendant back. When his one and only son is sent away to the war, Adam is eaten away by his guilt. Abdel later goes to the army camp to save his son, but Abdel is already on the brink of death. The director says that it was God's will to not save Abdel, because Adam did not try to save Abdel. Overall, this movie uses Adam's guilt to show that he regretted the decisions that he made as a father.
drhupp
A Screaming Man was a very slow movie that took a very long time to develop, so I was left waiting for things to happen which I was not a fan of. It was one of the most quiet films I've ever seen, and I've been told that that was showing the Chadian culture, where silence between people is not awkward. When Adam was sitting around the pool he seemed to really enjoy taking in the things that were taking place in the area. As soon as Adam lost his job working at the pool and was moved to the gatekeeper position, his life started spiraling out of control. I thought it was the wrong move when he sent his son Abdel, to the front lines of the war. He did that just to get his job back from his son! This to me just seems morally wrong and his son should have been extremely angry when he saw Adam again. It was sad when Abdel died because he did not deserve to fall for his dads decisions. And I'm not sure how Adam will be able to go on with his life after getting his son killed and being so selfish.
chunky_lover_68
By far my favourite film I've seen so far this year, A Screaming Man is an extremely captivating and thought provoking film that doesn't have to try too hard to get its ideas across. I think it says a lot without having to say so much, and in that simplicity, the viewer can find a whole world of complexities lying under the characters and their tale. I don't know why but this film just really spoke to me on a lot of levels, as a employee, as a son, and as a man. I'm really glad to have decided to check it out as I had originally thought this film would be unrealisable to me and possibly boring, but it's quite the opposite, It's a film I'm going to be thinking about for quite some time and engaged me thoughtfully the entire way through.Meet Adam, he's is fifty-five years old and has spent thirty of those as the pool manager at the nearby hotel in an unknown village in the country of Chad. Adam is content with his life as it keeps him considerably happy and even allows for his son to have a job as his assistant. But all of that changes when the hotel changes hands to new owners, unfortunately they do not see the worth in this long time employee and former swimming champion. Complacency gets the best of Adam when he is informed he no longer the pool assistant, and instead manning the front gate of the hotel. This shift to a job he does not like is further impacted by jealousy as he watches his son take over the position he never wished to give up. What is more is that Adam's village is become a more hostile place by the day, as warring rebels seem to draw closer to home. It is here that Adam makes a regretful choice with the leader of the resistance movement, leading to the heartbreak for himself and his family. Can Adam learn to accept his fate and make better the things he did to try and divert it, or will he be lost in the growing turmoil of war and suffering that will leave him A Screaming Man? Wow, I did not expect this movie to be this way. I actually thought this film would be slightly jarring given the title, but no real screaming or profuse anger exists here; the screaming is done within the mind. And what a mind to try and unravel, Adam is easily one of the years best characters and performances. It's certainly a quiet performance, but it says so much without having to, I really enjoyed that about the character, he wasn't entrenched in some well said dramatic dialogue, instead it's felt and experienced along with the character. Youssouf Djaoro is ridiculously on point with the role, capturing all the confliction and anger of Adam in a single glance, I really felt for and rallied behind this person from the start; easily the best performance I've seen this year, just so perfectly done. The story itself is surprising and the emotions presented within feel really honest. The film also allows for brilliant moments of humour and introspection to go along with its more serious events, and the world around Adam is smartly realized. The pacing of the film is really solid, and the direction is flat out brilliant, the story wouldn't of worked without director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun eye for nuance and simplistic effectiveness. I found parts of the film quite intense though there is little action in the film, the title of the film is apt in that way, no one screams, but the strength of the story doesn't require them too, it is written all over their faces with brilliant ability. I only really take issue with the ambiguous ending which left me confused at the films final events, I suppose it's open to interpretation this way, but I think it wasn't really necessary; perhaps the director felt without it the film would seem cliché, but I found everything up to that point brutally original and eye opening. Overall I just really loved the story, and a better film could not be made from it, this is a very close call with cinematic perfection in my eyes and one that will most likely to remain at the top of my list come years end, quite happy to have been afforded the opportunity to travel the dusty roads and narrow alleys with this character. If I can track down a copy to buy, I most certainly will by it without hesitation.So I truly do recommend this film as a great example of effective filmmaking. I didn't know what I was going to get with this one, but the results we're overwhelming in a good way. If you get a chance to see this film, do not pass it up, as far as dramatic films go for the year, this is among the best you'll find. Unfortunate that it's joint sponsorship will make it ineligible for consideration in the AMPAS foreign film category, perhaps a group such as the Hollywood foreign press (Golden Globes) who define the category as foreign Language will show it some love. Either way, A Screaming Man is an extremely well played meditation on what it is like to have your world flipped upside down in a heartbeat, and how one makes amends with the unpredictability of life. Highly Recommended.
