Release, runtime and language

2002 · 91 mins · French

Directed by

Abderrahmane Sissako

Starring

Khatra Ould Abder Kader, Fatimetou Mint Ahmeda, Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould, Nana Diakité, Makanfing Dabo

Before moving west, Abdallah returns to his hometown of Nouadhibou, Mauritania, to see his mother. Though he grew up there, he feels alienated—he doesn't know the local dialect and his Western clothing marks him as an outsider. Spending time with a boy and an elderly electrician, he confronts the sense of loss for the life he is leaving behind.