Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun depicts the hardships of a small Chadian village in Soumsoum, a Night of the Stars. It depicts those hardships with ironic beauty, as the village mourns another child, dead because of an evil curse. Or at least, that’s what they think is happening, blaming everything on Aya (Achouackh Abakar Souleymane), a ‘witch’. She’s the kind of character that protagonists like Kellou (Maïmouna Miawama) get warnings about from her family. Despite said warnings from Kellou’s father Garba (Ériq Ebouaney), she befriends Aya, who knows about the former’s visions.
Kellou’s world, in fairness, is beautiful thanks to Haroun’s work in depicting the village in which she lives. It strays from the typical African iconography, as it equally captures the desert as well as the farms. There’s even a golden tint as it depicts the village proper, a place where Kellou’s subversiveness blossoms. Long shots capture Garba trying to talk to her, trying to warn her about Aya’s supposedly growing influence. Frames like the ones we see on screen engender a feeling of detachment from otherwise strong, overwhelming emotions.
Without giving too much away, Soumsoum‘s third act has Kellou wandering the desert – nice obvious metaphor here. Again, Haroun and his DP Mathieu Giombini do competent work- imagine magic realism with hints of John Ford. Yes, there are moments when viewers can see her visions but they don’t feel like visions. This film disappoints in some aspects even though I can’t be too mad at what it’s attempting.
- Rated: Unrated
- Genre: Drama
- Release Date: 9/17/2026
- Directed by: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
- Starring: Achouackh Abakar Souleymane, Christ Assidjim Mbaihornom, Ériq Ebouaney, Maïmouna Miawama, Saleh Sambo
- Written by: Laurent Gaudé, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
- Studio: Göi-Göi Productions, Pili Films
