A Screaming Man

Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Year Released: 2010
Rating: 1.0

A pool attendant (Youssouf Djaoro) in Chad 'gives up' his beloved son (Dioucounda Koma) to fight against rebels who are creating havoc, but the decision leaves him conflicted and prone to moping. Vacuous as an allegory for troubles in Africa and dramatically flat, it follows the art-house method of saying little and gloating in having precious little taking place on screen: it's a tricky gamble, because it seems to work for some (gifted) filmmakers and completely fails for others who merely watched those films. The father's internal conflict (his 'screaming') is supposed to be the driving heart of this, but it turns out to be A Numbing Movie.