On the seacoast of Mauritania, some wait to go to Europe. Khatra, a spirited boy, wants an electric light so he can read at night. A stoic older man, Maata, tries to wire the room. Abdallah, a youth on his way to Europe, says good-bye to his mother. Nana looks back on the death of her daughter and her trip to Europe to inform the father. A girl takes singing lessons. Rooms have small windows, looking out onto foot traffic; transistor radios provide some link beyond. Huge ship... (Full plot summary below)
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On the seacoast of Mauritania, some wait to go to Europe. Khatra, a spirited boy, wants an electric light so he can read at night. A stoic older man, Maata, tries to wire the room. Abdallah, a youth on his way to Europe, says good-bye to his mother. Nana looks back on the death of her daughter and her trip to Europe to inform the father. A girl takes singing lessons. Rooms have small windows, looking out onto foot traffic; transistor radios provide some link beyond. Huge ships anchor in the distance. The train comes through, stopping briefly. Offering a cigarette is a gesture of hospitality. Sand dunes and the ocean dominate the landscape. Hope springs amidst small expectations.
Leave your thoughts about Waiting for Happiness.
| Slant MagazineEd GonzalezAbderrahmane Sissako's Heremakono (Waiting for Happiness) is an elegiac portrait of a transit city on the West African coast struggling against foreign influences. |
| Spirituality and PracticeFrederic and Mary Ann BrussatA spellbinding African film about the modern condition of rootlessness, a state experienced by millions around the globe. |
| Filmcritic.comDon Willmottpretty and it's exotic, but that's all it is. |
| Shadows on the WallRich ClineA skilfully shot film, with startling images and a gentle pace that frequently comes to a full stop just to capture the rhythms of life in an earthbound purgatory. |
| Ozus' World Movie ReviewsDennis SchwartzStrikingly beautiful visual mood piece that resembles in many ways the refreshing intensity of an Ozu family drama. |
| New York PostV.A. MusettoManages to delight without much of a story. |
| Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckA film that will be best appreciated by those willing to endure its extremely languorous rhythms, Waiting for Happiness is ultimately thoughtful without having much dramatic impact. |
| eye WEEKLYKim LinekinThe beautiful, unusual music is this film's chief draw, but its dreaminess may lull you to sleep. |
| User ReviewKristin Mcould we add a photo here? this movie is wonderful! |
| User ReviewAnn BThis is a very original and well-made film. It evokes incredible beauty, solitude, sadness and humor. The camera seems to tag along after the different characters. The images are unforgettable. |
