Film No. 24. GOODBYE JULIA (WADAEAN JULIA) (2024). 14th April.

 

Film No. 24 (2024) April 14th.  4:00 PM  LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1,  Leederville.

"Stop, I will shoot!" (The moment that catapults Mona and Julia into a friendship which will fill them both with regret, but also, most importantly, hope).

NOMINEE: Sudan entry, Best Foreign Film  (Mohamed Kordotan)  The Oscars.

 

Does GOODBYE JULIA (G.J.) help the western world to understand the Sudanese political upheavals over recent years? No, but Sudan forms the backdrop for a human drama which could unfold in any place where the repression of women is a prevailing subculture. 

While the plight of women in Sudanese culture forms a foundation for this story, with its themes of; living with lies, seeking redemption, friendship, compassion and finally, the inevitability of life in a violent subculture, G.J. explores much. First time feature director Mohamed Kordofani gives us naturalism at its rawest, through the eyes of his leads Eiman (Mona) and Siran Riak (Julia), both in their debut performances. Characters are thrown together because Mona lives with a lie; but can she truly make it up to Julia?  

Art will always prick our consciousness through  films like G.J. I  feel forever privileged to be invited into a world so foreign, to that I live in, with its first world problems. IO CAPITANO and GOODBYE JULIA help to point me towards comprehending why a more tolerant world than the one we currently live in would make sense.   9GUMS.