As he struggles in vain to make some small semblance of a difference to those he loves, Ahmed is asking us the question: are we really okay with this?

| Original Score: B | Apr 25, 2024

A handsome, widescreen fable about family bonds and financial insecurity, this Somali-language film’s simplicity and economy is its power.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 23, 2022

It’s a gentle, humorous film in Africa’s quietist cinema tradition with grace notes of irony and wit.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 18, 2022

There's a straightforwardness to the telling of this tale that adds to its accessibility.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 20, 2022

Opens a space to talk about universal health care. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jul 8, 2022

The Gravediggers Wife is tense, emotional and its clear the great deal of care Khadar Ahmed has taken to craft the characters.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 5, 2022

Warsame captures Nasra's charm, her calm acceptance of her fate, and her love for her family, perfectly, and her chemistry with Omar Abdi as Guled is perfect.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 10, 2021

Along the way, Ahmed reveals the land and its people, and the love that's driving Guled to keep going when it seems impossible.

| Nov 26, 2021

A moving, sometimes quietly biting study of a medically and financially troubled family in crisis.

| Nov 20, 2021

A film brimming with authenticity that, supported by three riveting performances, highlights how love and family fuel us

| Original Score: A- | Oct 20, 2021

A stark drama about the choices poverty forces on people, but the slow pace and a contrived third act mean it doesn't quite land as powerfully as it might.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 19, 2021

You would think the film would be bleak, but it wasn't.

| Original Score: B | Oct 18, 2021

A film which exudes natural warmth but is also tinged with sadness.

| Oct 16, 2021

The scenes between Guled and Nasra pluck at the heart-strings a bit much, but the group of gravediggers is convincingly and even amusingly portrayed. The terrible deprivation of the village and its inhabitants is searing.

| Oct 6, 2021

The Gravedigger's Wife ranks high among the gems of the festival and would be an asset to any distributor's lineup.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 25, 2021

Watching struggles like the ones the characters experience here isn't an enjoyable exercise, but it certainly is eye opening.

| Sep 22, 2021

This comes off more sad than ghoulish in Ahmed's hands, who maintains a lively touch throughout the film, never letting it sink into poverty porn...

| Sep 20, 2021

As a family drama, the film features poignant moments that, while surely cliché in their execution, showcase the central character's caring and empathetic nature.

| Sep 20, 2021

The need to opt for "drama" leaves the impression that stories from these latitudes are only worth telling when there is suffering involved [Full Review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 17, 2021

Charming and wistful without ever feeling maudlin, The Gravedigger's Wife is a beautiful love letter to the power of family.

| Sep 15, 2021