The final film from highly regarded Senegalese author and filmmaker Ousmane Sembène, Moolaadé continues his exploration of social change in the unique context of African culture. More than just a rant against the cruelty of certain traditional practices (here taking a particular stance against female genital mutilation, or 'purification' as it is referred to by its practitioners in the film), Sembène takes into account the unique confluence of factors affecting the changing interpretation of cultural norms in Africa as a whole, including the lingering effects of old colonialism (the character of Mercenaire), the changes brought about by religious intervention, and the rapidly developing influence of more economically advanced nations in a modern sense (France is referred to as an almost ethereal realm of money, but at times reviled by village traditionalists given the influence it has, eroding their authority). Above all, there is a line drawn between simplistic interpretations of foreign influence as a purely corrupting force in otherwise idyllic African socieities, and an inability to adapt in the face of a changing world for the sake of pure traditionalism. Certain aspects of the film are certainly not subtle, but to claim that Moolaadé is excessively simple or without relevance is certainly not true. (3.5/5)

Very well made film with a complex and excellently well crafted narrative. We feel the struggle and the difficulty of fighting a well encroatched tradition. With little girls involved, the suspense is maintained throughout, more efficiently than any large budget feature. Knowing that these events were depicting something real and realistically, it is even more gut wrenching. The film expose well the problematic of societal changes, by which I mean the view points of all sides are well exposed and understood. The film was the base for increased discussions with the goal of eradicating the pratice. I hope this is accomplished now.

Beautifully filmed, dealing with a cruel subject, but doing this through graceful performances, this is an interesting movie.

Best movie I've seen from Burkina Faso

Every effort should be made to see Moolaadé, to see the turmoil of modern African women, and to absorb the accepting, upholding, stirring promise of filmmaking.

An eye-widening depiction of the unknown part of the African norm. I say, I have never been so culture-shocked by a film before.

I'm not yet used to these kinds of films so I felt bored a lot of the time but it very much so redeemed itself in the end. It's an extremely important film and I'm glad I have the opportunity to watch it.

I thought the ending was a little ham-fisted, especially the parting shot of an antenna. The rest is obviously of importance, I don't think "circumcision" is the word many other reviewers here are looking for, it doesn't make it clear what they're doing (read the synopsis at the top of the page. Ew.)

A socially important film from one of the corners of the world, Moolaadé rich cultural meaning and thematics reminds us about the mental delay in big parts of the world, but Ousmane Sembene shows the values of the women and the human conception of freedom and colective thought.

The film draws attention to an issue oft-overlooked to Westerners - forced female circumcision - and gives an upbeat message about resistance of tradition. It's slow paced but stays interesting and gives an insider's look into life inside an African village.

In retrospect, this was probably the best movie to watch for mother's day -- a bunch of African mothers fight the tribal elders to try to end the practice of "purifying" girls through genital mutilation. Apparently, it still goes on and girls (aged 4 to 8) sometimes die from unsanitary conditions/infection/blood loss. But this is a vibrant and colorful movie that brings culture alive even as it takes on the form of a parable, so don't be turned away by the topic. It is a protest film by a director who was then 81 years old (Ousmane Sembene from Senegal) and it is feminist. I wonder did it have any effect on real practice? The media are identified by the village elders as the source of the rebellion, and hence, in a surreal image, radios are burned. But a travelling salesman who also represents a more westernized Africa is treated with more ambivalence by the director. Fighting fire with fire, a moolaade (protection spell) averts the immediate crisis and allows the women (or woman -- Collie Ardo Gallo Sy -- played by Fatoumata Coulibaly) to be heard, if not accepted.

A colorful story of a little-known part of the world, a trial against female genital mutilation, a ideological assault on Islamic power structures, and a powerful argument for intellectual, inclusive civil society in any and all parts of the world. Could have been faster-paced; simplistic but effective cinematography.

Super interesting theme

Without doubt one of the best movies I ever saw. If you ever want to see a movie about the power of Black Women then you need to see this one. Grandmaster director Sembene could have taught some American directors a thing or two. If you ever get the chance see this movie.

didn't think i'd like a movie about genital mutilation but i did

This one will really shock you...What a world we live in!

Thanks to its striking subject matter, impressive production values and stellar storytelling, Ousmane Sembene's final film is a real Third Cinema triumph. This poignant drama offers viewers a fascinating insight into the effects of abuse and unhealthy religious practices in a Sub-Saharan patriarchal village torn between the modern and the traditional. From start to finish, the picture feels beautifully made and immaculately performed. It will linger in your mind for days.

Disturbing and moving story of a minor womens' lib moment...one that protects young girls from circumcision in a great movie about this unfortunate practice.

It Must Start With One Woman If It Is to Start at All I will pretty well guarantee you that a large percentage of the reviews of this movie have the word "patriarchy" in them. This is a sure sign that the person writing the review hasn't watched the movie carefully enough. After all, the whole point of the movie is that it isn't just the men who keep these traditions going. It's the women, too. After all, in the village where this movie is set, it is the women who run the whole show, unto doing the cutting. It's true that the men all agree that they would never marry a woman who hadn't been "purified," but the women are put in charge of the actual work and are just as adamant that every girl must undergo the ritual. In part, I suspect this is because they believe their suffering would be for nothing if they didn't prolong the tradition. Of course, it already was; they are told the Koran requires it, and it doesn't. Collé Gallo Ardo Sy (Fatoumata Coulibaly) lives in a small village in Burkina Faso, one of those African countries few Americans can find on a map. And then one day, four of the village girls come to her in search of [i]moolaadé[/i], magical protection. They and two others have run away from the purification ritual. Collé had refused to let her daughter, Amasatou (Salimata Traoré), undergo the procedure, and the girls think that she will protect them. Collé underwent it, and she was unable to deliver a live child without a caesarian; Amasatou is her only living child. It is a busy day in the village; Amasatou's fiancé, Ibrahima (Moussa Théophile Sowié) is to return from Paris the next day, and Mercenaire (Dominique Zeïda), the local traveling merchant, has arrived. And the whole of the town is in an uproar over Collé's dangerous actions. The men blame the radio, proving that blaming the media is a universal. And it's true that it is in part because of the radio that Collé knows that "purification" isn't in the Koran at all. However, there is also the issue that she loves her husband and wants to enjoy sex with him instead of suffering through it. She wishes she had been able to give birth without the luck of having a doctor coming through at just the right time. She remembers the pain of the procedure, and she remembers the pain she has felt over and over since that day. She wants better for her daughter than she experienced herself. That it's been a tradition for years without number is not, to her, the point. She's going to protect her daughter, and she's going to protect the other four girls who came to her. she would have protected the remaining two runaways, but they went and drowned themselves in the well instead. The two best-drawn of the male characters are Mercenaire and Ibrahima, and the important thing about both of them is that they have left the village. Ibrahima has been all the way to Paris. He is the son of the village chief, the richest person in the village. And a lot of those riches come from the work he was doing in Paris. He has been exposed to a lot beyond his tiny village, and it has changed his way of thinking in ways his father could not have expected. Mercenaire fought in wars, met UN troops. He spends his time traveling between villages and into the city, picking up his wares and selling them all around. And what both men know is that large amounts of the world think of the activities of the village are backward and shameful. The old men say that no one will ever marry an uncut woman, but Ibrahima and Mercenaire know that billions of men will, and even more people are looking down on them over it. The world is changing. Even in those little villages in Africa, the wider world is invading. I'm midway through [i]Sahara[/i], and Michael Palin travels to a village where female genital mutilation is still performed. And in the village, they don't believe there is any future for girls who do not have the operation performed. However, as the film makes clear, a lot of the girls who do have no future in a rather more literal sense. After all, the equipment they use isn't sterile. I've just finished a book about the life and death of James Garfield, and he might well have survived had he not had the medical treatment he was given. Garfield, as well as many girls who have had this awful procedure performed, died of infection. A lot of other girls would die in childbirth, because the procedure does not exactly make a difficult process any easier. Any girls spared the process are spared more than a few minutes of pain.

Definitely made me appreciate life as we know it in North America, and glad to be a male...