A Screaming Man

2010
Dir. by Mahamet-Saleh Haroun
Released by Film Movement

As part of Film Movement's ongoing DVD-a-month series (read more about it here) they've released here in 2011 Mahamet-Saleh Haroun's A Screaming Man.

The events of the film take place in modern-day Chad, focusing on Adam or “Champ” as he's called around town. The setup for Adam's life is an idyllic one - a former national swimming champion (hence the nickname) he now manages the pool at a posh hotel. His son Abdel works there with him and the two have a seemingly close relationship. Adam also has a good, positive relationship with his wife Mariam. Even though he's older he gets along with everyone well enough and enjoys the simple pleasures of his life.

All that begins to change, though, when the hotel begins laying off his friends and giving his pool manager job to his younger son. He feels put out to pasture as they make him the gatekeeper, just on the fringe of that world. Adam becomes very despondent and stressed out - so much so that he stops paying the local “chief” to keep Abdel out of the army. So when the soldiers come and forcibly conscript/draft Abdel, he is saddened but is able to return to his job. However, the cost of re-attaining that position begins to weigh heavily on him. He even vows to fast until Abdel returns home from the army.

Soon enough Abdel's young and pregnant girlfriend Djeneba comes around and she's taken in by Adam and Miriam. Adam seems to find some connection to Abdel here, a chance for some type of forgiveness or restitution. But, even then, her sweetness and vulnerability are too much for him and he becomes reckless and distant again, so much so that Miriam even comments, “I don't even recognize you any more.”

As news of rebel advances toward their city begin to become more than rumours Miriam pleads with Adam to snap out of his malaise and do something. He drives around on his sidecar scooter after curfew in an attempt to perhaps find his son and is very nearly shot by a patrol. He finally confesses what he did to Abdel to Djeneba who, understandably, is horrified and outraged. Unwilling to then yet face the wrath of Miriam he sets out to find his son and bring him back home.

Adam does get word of Abdel's location after he's gravely wounded in battle. Stealing him away at night from the army hospital the Adam from the beginning of the film returns a bit, hopeful and smiling. As they rest by the side of the road on their escape Abdel tells Adam that he knows what he's done. Adam is crushed, all hope seeming lost now. But Abdel puts a wounded, reassuring hand on his arm and lets him know that it's alright and that he just wants to swim in the river once again. Adam quickly agrees and takes them to the river but Abdel has expired before they reach it. In a powerful closing scene Adam puts Abdel in the river and sends him downstream, watching him fade away. Then, lost in his own right, he begins walking down the river as well as the image fades to darkness.

Now, I'm no expert on the political climate of Chad but, from this film, it seems that director Haroun is using Adam as the story of that country - that there was an idyllic time, enough to grow complacent, until everything started to erode. Its citizens were feeling as if the world had suddenly changed around them and were unwilling to accept any responsibility for socio-political turmoil internally, desperately clinging however they could to their old ways. That lack of vision ended up costing them their sons while that river of life just keeps flowing on and on, impervious and unrelenting but representing the constant flow of life itself.

Or maybe not.

Extras

Film Movement's DVD comes in 16:9 widescreen and looks pretty good, a few darks getting a little blocky but only in a couple of scenes. The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack handles the ominous roar of passing helicopters and the delicate dialog at night between characters equally well but certainly won't tax any surround system as far as dynamic range is concerned.

The disc contains biographies for Houson and Djaoro as well as the trailer for the film (and other Film Movement releases). FM includes a short on each disc, apparently, as well, and the selection on this disc is another collaboration of the director and actor, called Expectations. At just :30 minutes, it showcases Houson's visual style and storytelling about a character (Djaoro) who fails a journey across the desert but returns home broken and unable to speak or connect to anyone he loves.

Summary

Houson has a beautifully shot and well-paced story of his home country on display here. Youssouf Djaoro as Adam is fantastic at moving from comfortable to helpless to devastated, trying to control the world around him and failing miserably. A Screaming Man is what he should be, passionate and outraged and willing to take a stand but, instead, he becomes withdrawn and only hears the screams inside of what remains of his soul.

Rating: B+