Student Film Reviews

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1. Howard Green 02.11.15 / 1pm

   Nico, I really appreciate your finding the photo you used because it does highlight the violence of the movie. My choice had featured the family, which is the way I’d like to remember the nicer parts of the film.
2. Randy Ross 06.04.20 / 11pm

   Like you, I thought the story of Kidane and his family living in a tent away from the city was a central theme in Timbuktu that tied the other stories in the film together and added to the scope of the film’s narrative. Abderrahmane Sissako, the director, seamlessly creates rounded characters that feel real in experiencing the extreme circumstances they are newly forced to accept. It is true that Kidane and his family are living in that dramatically beautiful landscape, which was a pleasure to watch. At the same time, he and his wife are concerned about the changing atmosphere. His wife asks him if they should leave, since their neighbors have already left. Since the audience has seen what the citizens in the city are going through, the audience understands and feels Kidane’s stress. This is a movie for anybody who wants to understand what it feels like to have your culture suddenly changed.
3. palmer bajari 03.04.21 / 2pm

   This review may be short though it does go straight into the point behind the film Timbuktu which is refreshing as many reviews tend to make the mistake of beating around the bush. However I would have liked to have seen at east a little more meat to the bones of the film Timbuktu as it has much more then just simple themes throughout. The b-roll in the film is absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful which is actually a direct contradiction to the events played out in the film. It is hard to believe that such a vast oppression is laid out upon the citizens of Timbuktu by the Jihadists’ in such an incredibly beautiful area rich with culture and history. After watching this film I did in fact have some trouble interpreting the various themes presented. So, based upon a review of the movie by Michael Sragow in 2015, I found reasoning behind how the opening shots and the closing shots were in direct symbolistic relation(Deep Focus: Timbuktu, by Michael Sragow). This discovery allowed me to feel closure to the film and gave me a solemn yet satisfied feeling of content. The last thing about this film that is worth mentioning is the feeling of realism and how the characters melded into their roles with crisp perfection. And the majority of that is due to how director Sissako actually was present in a similar, real life occurrence of events displayed in the film. Through and through this interview was well done and it greatly highlighted upon the truths of the film.
4. Ryan Tischhauser 08.04.21 / 11pm

   I loved this review. It was short, straight, and to the point, which is very reflective of the movie in question. After watching Timbuktu it is definitely a “skin-and-bones” movie. I say this in a positive way however. It tells the story it wants and must tell, and nothing else, and in this its execution is wonderful. I loved how you displayed the differences between the Jihadist run town and the roaring beauty of the dessert home of the protagonist. I too was surprised about the rating of this movie, especially given the unsettlingly bare and real violence present. Overall I loved this review, it is almost reflective of the film itself.
5. Aidan Pasco 10.04.21 / 10am

   Timbuktu was a film that revolved around a very serious subject in which I think you perfectly described, in a very straight forward, yet detailed way, to where it would really make the reader understand the theme of this movie. After watching this film, I would definitely agree that this movie is not for the faint hearted, as you stated. The violence and the injustice these innocent people face was really tough to watch, because we do know these are real life hardships people face. For me, the Mis-en-Scene was very important to this film, and you made the point that the sandy scenery provided beauty, which shows an example of that. I thought you showed the key parts to the film in your review, and after reading it I know someone who has not seen the film would really understand the key themes, and concepts of the movie.
6. Connor Brown 03.11.22 / 6pm

   I recently watched this movie and I had a questionable experience while watching it as it was quite slow and sometimes difficult to follow. I was not expecting what was shown, though in the end while reflecting on it I understand why it was nominated in 2015 for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Film. It is because the script and the acting held great messages about similar real-life situations where jihadists often oppressed people in the towns laying down irrational laws governed by the barrel of a gun. The overall Mise-en-scène carries great meaning that makes this movie an overall great film.
7. Nate Jaoua 03.24.22 / 12pm

   I really like and appreciated this review, I also like the fact that it was short and straight to the point. This movie tells a really powerful and deep story. It was definitely a hard movie to get through its definitely not for the light heart. but overall I really liked your review. I thought you explained the key parts of the movie and its themes and I think thats really important.
8. Lia Tatiana 07.17.24 / 8am

   Similar to other comments, I appreciate this direct, explicit review of Timbuktu. the review reflects what I love about the film, instead of the heightened, sensationalized dramatic take, it has a much more realistic slow-paced, “slice of life” feel about it, with intimate yet sometimes simple scenes. This more measured approach allowed for much more thoughtfulness on the sensitive topic, which is often depicted in harsher ways. The characters are portrayed objectively, with the lines of good and evil blurred. The Jihadists are often portrayed as flawed and confused. I found the setting of the film hard to grasp at first, but that is not the fault of the movie, but more because I had no prior knowledge of the topic, and with some light reading of the occupation I was quickly clued in.

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