Nirgendwo in Afrika

A solid picture with an interesting screenplay, but needlessly long. All of the actors are totally convincing. Nobody particularly stands out, which is a good thing. The technical aspects, i.e. camerawork and music, are almost flawless. But there is one cardinal error here: it left me completely cold, despite what happens and what it is about. With the honorable exception of the storyline concerning the relationship between Regina and the native Owuor. It is also a shame that the director didn’t include more scenes in the same vein as the final scene with the banana. (28.04.2005)

A slow-paced poetic film where shots of the exotic landscape and nature itself play an important role. The intimate acting of the cast, without much flamboyance, portrays the story of a Jewish family that escaped genocide but must cope with a foreign culture, loneliness, poverty, and eventually long-term separation. A strong, intimate piece. Overall impression: 80%. (14.08.2006)

One of the few cases when I'm really glad that I haven't read the book. Those who didn't have such luck protested that this or that is different and that something is missing, so I would be far from a surprising enjoyment. This way, I got a human story with painfully life-like characters (real events scream very loudly) and a beautiful, lingering ending. (28.06.2006)