TIMBUKTU – The Review

Review by Stephen Jones

An Islamic extremist group (not verbally identified as ISIL, but the flag is unmistakable) has taken control of a small town in Timbuktu. A group is arrested for playing music, now outlawed in the town. While receiving her punishment of 80 lashes, the woman in the group sings. If this isn’t the most powerful moment in TIMBUKTU, it’s definitely the most indicative of what makes it a great film. The primary story of the cattle herder and the killing of his favorite cow has sincerely moving moments, but the town and the occupying extremists’ interaction are what carry the film. Some try to reason with them, to varying degrees of success. Others argue, one woman laughs as she stands in front of their car, blocking their way. The herder’s family is outright dismissive; they live outside of the town, spared their wrath until the herder accidentally kills a man in a fight.

For a film where the antagonists are a worldwide hot button topic, there’s no mention of the larger political landscape. The only mention of the world outside of TIMBUKTU, in fact, is a debate about football players. The film wisely keeps things very much at ground level, looking only at how the people having to live with them are dealing with ISIL. They’re portrayed here as hypocritical bullies, forcing absurd rules, ridiculous punishments, and unwanted marriages (we see one, but during its protest there is mention that it has happened with disquieting frequency) on a town that wants absolutely no part of them.

If this were the entire film, I honestly think I’d like it even more. The story of the herder is interesting in its own right, and maybe also could’ve supported its own film, but the relationship between the town and ISIL had me fascinated from beginning to end. The herder’s story is redeemed, however, in a moment near its conclusion that is absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking, all based on which direction he chooses to bow in prayer.

The structure of the film will turn some viewers off. There’s no real arc for the town’s story, and the herder’s story is spread very thin over the run time. There are segments that could almost feel aimless, and if you’re accustomed to something with a more straightforward structure, this won’t be the easiest film to get into. But once it sets in, it is great, and it’s absolutely worth getting into. Even in the stretches where the story feels thin or even nonexistent, there are some beautifully shot scenes.

All in all, TIMBUKTU is a great film. That the main story doesn’t quite live up to the scattered subplots says more about the subplots’ greatness than anything lackluster about the main story. It’s definitely worth checking out once it hits theaters.

4 1/2 of 5 Stars

TIMBUKTU opens in St. Louis March 20th exclusively at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Theater