The film's narrative proves to be a strong argument against religious extremism (essentially by arguing that no one could ever follow such strict rules to the letter, even those enforcing them) while also never feeling that it has an ax to grind.

This is a slow moving film, one that gives you a good insight into the lives of regular people in the area. Its a relatively thoughtful film although the lack of plot direction felt a bit frustrating. Its by no means full of strong, bloody violence, which may come as a relief to some. I thought it seemed like a 'fly in the wall documentary' style of film. In terms of portraying a specific culture, it was interesting. While it isn't especially graphic in terms of violence, there are certainly bleak moments too. I'd say this is an interesting, thoughtful docu-drama overall.

Remarkably well crafted look at the impact of radical Islam on decent minded and pious Muslims in Mali. The horrors and corruption of this type of ideology are laid bare in a never dull picture that deserves a lot of credit.

One can't help but wonder if, instead of just being a really good film, Timbuktu couldn't have been a great one. Set in the arid Saharan desert in and around Timbuktu, it's a visual feast of vast expanses and rolling dunes. The story, timely and relevant, involves the arrival of Islamic fundamentalists and the imposition of their laws on those in the area, poor villagers who are simply content to eke out a meager existence from the harsh environment. While the film has its powerful moments, it sometimes feels as though it has lost its way as it introduces various storylines and a multitude of characters. Instead of focusing on one scenario (the conflict over the cow and the fishing net, for example), it tends to meander about like the winding streets of Timbuktu. It's a good film, just not a great one.

There are moments in this film of real beauty and also moments where it genuinely moves you. The disparate strands never really tie together though and the unifying theme of 'aren't Jihadists mean!' isn't deep enough or nuanced enough to hang the whole film on.

Although it is difficult to dislike a film with such gorgeous visuals and powerful messages, I also think that, because of this elements, should have been way better. It is like it fell short of its potential. Nevertheless "Timbuktu" its a view I would recommend, because it shows realities so far from us that makes them so easy to forget.

To me the visual of the film is extremely insipid, savorless, amazingly dull and plainly disappointing! And in that area, someone will have to explain to me how cinematographer Sofian El Fani, who once again reveals himself as an amateur, actually did get a credit for this movie. Very rarely do we see technical challenges. The movie's visualization is so technically repetitive and mind-numbing that it makes the whole movie extremely boring (how many viewers did say they were checking their watch!). Timbuktu's stunning sandy deserts, lakes and caved houses, which should have been splendidly rendered, are regrettably reduced to being consistently filmed with the same elementary shots over and over. It could have been merely OK for a documentary (which the movie was supposed to be BTW). What makes the filming approach so tedious is that Sofian El Fani fails to convey emotions through camera angles (kind of reminded me of La vie d'Adèle where El Fani makes such an excessive use of close-ups that it becomes unbearably repetitive to the viewer). So unless there was a political move to credit Tunisian film crew members, such as El Fani, (Original Score award to Amine Bouhafa was well deserved though), there is no technical basis whatsoever for him receiving this award for best cinematography. Globally, this film probably moved Western World viewers -- that's why it actually got credited--, but it no manner does it contribute to cinema or art.

As visually arresting as shatteringly startling, this Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film mustering imageries of religious oppression is a cri de coeur for the barbarous Islamic military rule at the titular city.

Un excellent film avec une grande immersion sur la vie sous la charma sans prise de position

Timbuktu tries to show the brutality of arbitrary application of sharia law through beautifully photographed scenes of characters and neighborhoods subjected to newfound and nonsensical strictures, like prohibition of music and soccer. But the value of that indictment of sharia is outweighed by the film's ambling, nearly random plot development. And the protagonist who falls victim to the jihadists himself insensibly tries to solve his property dispute with a gun, muddying the film's message. Despite its overwhelmingly positive reception among reviewers, the film leaves the viewer more with pointlessness than persuasion.

Very strong with a powerful message.

Fascinating; heart wrenching There's a lot of restraint and subtlety in director Abderrahmane Sissako's tragic delineation of what it's like to live under an ISIS takeover of a Muslim community. And there's a beautiful artistry in the way he shows the barbarism of Sharia law so horrifically played out while the subjugation of women is made clear. (Actually the women in the movie stand strong against the subjugation.) Thus the evil of the "jihadists" (ISIS is never named but a black flag is flown) is contrasted with the normal lives of Muslim people. Sissako, who also wrote the script, is careful to make this distinction-a distinction that a good part of the world is currently working on. It is not Muslims who are bad; it is the extremists. Yet I could not help but think as I watched this with the incessant talk of God will's, etc., that maybe, just maybe, the tribalism of religion itself is at fault. How horrible it is to live with the constant thought and expression that it is all God's doing (with a little help from the forces of evil), and that we are just pawns in some absurd game played by a nearly omnipotent power that can send you to heaven or hell based on the very behaviors built into your psyche. Well, such would apply to most other religions as well I suppose. So an indictment of Islam is not appropriate. Nonetheless the intense religious climate of the movie was for me almost tyrannical. I felt so sad for all the poor ignorant people and again was reminded of the saying "willful ignorance is the only sin" and again told myself that the only way out of the morass of the Middle East is education leading to enlightenment. The film is in Arabic, French and a bit of English with English subtitles. A lot of what is said is not translated into the subtitles, but little is lost in the comprehension. There are scenes of great beauty contrasted with ugly violence. Beautiful music is played and sung, and there is a soccer game played without a ball. Such is the absurdity of life under the jihadists, who are really just thugs using a distorted vision of Islam in order to justify their crimes. --Dennis Littrell, author of "Understanding Religion and Ourselves"

An interesting portrayal of life in Timbuktu, Mali, under Jihadist rule.

Arabic (mostly) with subtitles Directed by the writer Abderrahmane Sissako, the film shows the imposition of Isis as it arrives in Timbuktu and the surrounding desert. It's very quietly spoken film with no gratuitous violence, and no particular central character either. The jihadist impose their arbitary rules with the force of the gun behind them. The villagers and the herdsmen in the desert just want to get on with their daily life, quietly pious and friendly to each other. A jihadist declares with loudspeaker - all women must wear gloves and socks, no music, no football and yet they walk into a mosque with boots and guns and are castigated by the immam, but they don't listen. There is some defiance though - a jihadist comes up to a spirited woman selling fish and they try and insist she wears gloves, but she tells them she must use her bare hands to handle fish and challenges them to cut off her hands instead. They don't. Football is banned, but later we see youths seemingly playing football in a field,running about and scoring goals and cheering to themselves - a motorcycle with a pair of gun-toting jihadist come towards them - but they can't do anything as there is no actual ball, they all are playing with an imaginary ball. There is arbitary punishment - in once scene a group of friends are quietly singing in their house and the jihadist crash in and arrest them, this results in 80 lashes in a public square. In another scene, the jihadist leader has 'given' a bride to one of his soldiers, without the parent's consent. They object and the immam implores with the leader that it is not legal. To no effect. The film does not have a definite ending as such, implying that we are just dropping in to something that is still going on.

A heartbreaking yet strangely hopeful story.

The Banality of Evil comes to mind immediately. The film opens with a prologue showing a gazelle being chased by a pickup truck with jihadists riding in the bed shooting at it. One of the occupants of the cab is exhorting the driver to keep chasing to tire it out. It's Excellent symbolism for what follows. The story opens in media res with jihadists using old cultural artifacts for target practice, destroying them. They have already occupied a desert village along a river; how long they've been there is never revealed. Many of the residents have fled. A Bedouin herdsman lives near the village with his wife, daughter, a modest herd of cows and an orphan boy who tends the herd for him. We see other tents in the distant background, but are led to believe in the dialog that the other Bedouins fled. A truck winds its way around the city with a jihadist in back using a megaphone to announce new rules: no smoking, no music, no sports, women must wear socks and gloves in public, and men must keep their pants short enough so that their feet show (or roll them up). Later on, there is an announcement that adultery is punishable by death. The local imam runs circles around them in theological discussion intended to curb and modify their behavior. It becomes obvious they know little about Islam, but his discussing the Koran and its meaning with them accomplishes nothing. As the story unfolds we witness the rampant hypocrisies among the jihadists between their behavior that blatantly violates the rules they're enforcing with harsh punishment on the villagers, ostensibly under Sharia Law. It is George Orwell's Animal Farm in which all the animals are equal, except some are more equal than others. They do as they please and take what they wish. All of this is carried out, including a couple of executions, quite methodically without any urgency as very routine activity. We have become accustomed to films involving jihadi terrorists containing armed conflict and combat. Timbuktu reveals the Banality of Evil in the regions they occupy and what it does to the populations that live in them. A film that needed to be made.

http://filmreviewsnsuch.blogspot.com/2016/07/timbuktu.html

Timbukte is very relevant in today's life. It shows us a city ruled by religious fundamentalist Muslims, we see how the people of this town have to live under their ridiculous laws and visions. We follow the daily lives of different individuals, but it focuses mostly on a family that lives in peace just outside the town. One small mistake makes for a disastrous turn of events for the family. Although I must admit Timbuktu has some very powerful moments and very beautiful scenery, most of the film was extremely boring. I can't say anything I saw interested me in any way. The message of the film is clear and for some could be very powerful. It didn't reach me and I will forget Timbuktu immediately.

Very difficult and typical situation between politics and religion when we talk about islam, still found it well directed since it has not the graphic violence that I expected.

This, is art. This, is beauty.