Moolaadé

Moolaadé (2004)

  • 99% of critics liked it
    (72 reviews)

  • 83% of users liked it
    (1,555 ratings)

Pioneering Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene directed this controversial drama which deals in part with the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation (generally involving removal of the clitoris and temporary closure of the vagina), which is still practiced in a number of African nations in… More

Unrated, 2 hr. 4 min.
Directed By
Ousmane Sembene
Written By
Ousmane Sembene
Genres
Art House & International, Drama
In Theaters
Oct 15, 2004 Limited
On DVD
Dec 11, 2007
New Yorker Films

Critic Reviews

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    This masterwork by Ousmane Sembene, the 81-year-old father of African cinema and one of Senegal's greatest novelists, is the second film in a trilogy celebrating African women.

  • Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

    Ousmane, who wrote and directs, gives strong flavors to his characterization of village life and its peoples. But as drama the film mostly serves to illustrate the two sides of this crucial social debate in Africa.

  • Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic

    It's certainly clear where the director stands on the issue, but underneath is a far richer film about the complex issues of globalization and the values of tradition.

  • Susan Walker, Toronto Star

    A story told in music, vivid imagery and ritualistic movement.

  • Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

    A stirring vision of civil but pointed disobedience.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

  • Walter M


    [font=Century Gothic]"Shake Hands with the Devil" is a documentary about Romeo Dallaire, who was the commander of the United Nations forces in 1994 in Rwanda as he tried unsuccessfully to prevent the genocide with an underfunded and undermanned mission. Dallaire, whose… More

  • Panta O


    A very unelegant subject is dealt in this movie elegantly... director Ousmane Sembene brings a story where the practice of female circumcision is everyday issue in a small village in Burkina Faso in such a way that the 2 h 4 min fly why we are drawn into the magic of his work. A… More

  • Alec B


    While the film could use some trimmimg, this may be one of the most important films to ever come out of Africa. It comfronts the terrible practice of circumcision on the young girls in a small village. A woman in the town takes a stand against this disgusting practice, that often… More

Cast