Lingui: The Sacred Bonds and the Strength of Sisterhood
Coming this Friday is a gripping film from acclaimed Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. Telling the story of two young women, Lingui, the Sacred Bonds follows single mother and practicing Muslim, Amina and her daughter, fifteen-year-old Maria. When Amina learns that Maria is not only pregnant, but also wishes to terminate her pregnancy, the two women face an impossible situation; they live on the outskirts of the Chadian capital of N’Djamena, a place where abortion is legally and morally condemned. Maria is expelled from school for her pregnancy and faces an increasingly desperate situation with only her mother by her side.
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun is Chad’s first feature-length film director. Despite leaving the country during the civil wars of the 1980s and moving to France, most of his films have been produced and set in Chad. Across several films, Haroun has achieved much critical acclaim: A Screaming Man (2010) took home a Special Jury Prize from Cannes film festival, while Darratt (2006) scooped the same award from Venice. His films are complex, personal and political, often examining the state of Chad and the central African country’s many hardships. Haroun has talked about how his work is influenced by French filmmaker Robert Bresson, whose minimalist and striking films were ground-breaking features of 1950s and 60s France.
Like the work of Bresson, Haroun’s films are led by excellent performers. The story of Lingui is focused on the plight of Amina (Achouackh Abakah Souleymane) and Maria (Rihane Khalil Alio), whose situation reveals the gender imbalance across society. Haroun’s empathetic and visually arresting drama is driven by Souleymane’s performance as a woman and mother caught between her faith and her love for her young daughter. A distinct exploration of the hidden worlds of women living exposed to the whims of men, Lingui’s journey flows through the network women weave to survive life-threatening violence and unrelenting patriarchal control. Evocative, striking and emotional, the film is a discussion of sexuality and power. Despite everything, Amina maintains a belief in the sacred bonds that bind humanity – the lingui – invisible, and deeply embedded within the fabric of African culture.
Lingui, the Sacred Bonds explores Amina and Maria’s plight, and how they find solidarity with other women. The film expertly shows the strength of sisterhood in a perceptive and emotional tale. This is a striking film, told with care and, importantly, hope.
Lingui, the Sacred Bonds is screening at the Showroom Cinema from Friday 4th February. Tickets are on sale now.
This article first featured in the Sheffield Telegraph on Thursday 03 February 2022.
