Difret

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zeresenay Mehari directs. Monika Lenczewska behind the camera. David Schommer scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Ethiopia, United States of America. Dialogue in Amharic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 12 years ago.
• 2International production across 2 countries: Ethiopia, United States of America.
• 3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
• 4Directed by Zeresenay Mehari, shot by Monika Lenczewska. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by David Schommer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Meron Getnet and Tizita Hagere and Haregewine Assefa carry the top of the cast.
• 7IMDB entry: tt2611390 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Only 62 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography

Monika Lenczewska

Original score

David Schommer

Runtime

96 min · 1h 36m

Status

Released

Box office

$49,667

Original language

AM

IMDB

Difret (2014) ↗

Also by

Zeresenay Mehari

• 
  Sweetness in the Belly

  2019 · ★ 6.2

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Difret - Trailer (US)

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Reno2015-12-24
  ★ 9/10

  About how a terrible event changed the judicial system. The name Angelina Jolie on the poster draw my interest on this one. She was executive producer of this excellent Amharic movie. I appreciate her side of contribution to lift the world cinema. Some of the stories go unheard, because they are happening in the remote places of the earth, far from the modern cities and countries. Newspapers, media might fail to report them in a long-range, because it is less interested in the other side of the world, but movies like this ensures the outreach. I think this is my first Ethiopian movie. All the cast and story take place in this landlocked East-African country. The narration often switches between a small village and the capital city. Based on the real and historical even about one of the oldest blind belief over marrying a girl when she and her family denied the permission. It's set in the year 1996, the story of a 14-year-old girl Hirut who'd successfully escaped from her abductor, but not without a blow en-route. Now she's facing a charge which she had done in self-defence and the rest is her fight in the court of law. As usual, everything is fine in our society, so things won't change and it does not have to, until something terrible happens. As to what this film talks, the law was not written in a single day and some of them are overlaps with traditional culture which definitely need a serious reconsideration. It keeps changing until finding a correct solution. Take our society as an example, now the homosexual and marijuana laws were getting friendlier than ever. This story is another example of patching the loopholes in the law. It might come after a horrible incident, but makes sure that it won't repeat. "I can't even protect my little sister. They will get her one day." The entire film was not a courtroom drama, but people's bonding and cultural exposure. Actings were wonderful, especially the main two characters, Meaza and Hirut. The pace and focus was largely on the topic, but a few glimpses of landscapes of the countryside made me wonder how beautiful the Ethiopia is. I think the cinematography was at its best. This film has been officially submitted for the last concluded Oscars (2015), and in my view it should have been nominated for the main event instead of 'Timbuktu'. I thought it was a tale about some westerners who comes to help the little girl, or maybe adopt her, kind of stuffs. But it was purely a uni-national, uni-racial, its society and flawed judicial system which might give you a shock. After opening 30 minutes, I was pleased to have picked it to watch and ended highly satisfied when it ended. The conclusion was very emotional, especially the lines Hirut said was reflected what she went through and might going repeat for other girls. This is highly recommended by me. This film needs viewers, to learn what's really happening out there. Especially in a male dominated society, how the children and women are coping to stand on their own feet. Because of the brave attempt by the brave women, the changes have come and building a better future for the next generation. So hats off to the director-cum-writer, producers and all the above those two ladies who are still carrying out their works to help the struggling women as the final report from film says. I think you won't regret watching it, so why don't give it a try. 8½/10

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• HA

  Haile Addis Pictures

Key crew

• Executive ProducerJessica Rankin
• Executive ProducerLacey Schwartz Delgado
• Executive ProducerFrancesca Zampi
• Associate ProducerAndargachew Tewodros
• Line ProducerCarrie Lynn Certa
• ProducerMehret Mandefro
• ProducerZeresenay Mehari
• Executive ProducerJulie Mehretu
• ProducerLeelai Demoz
• Executive ProducerAngelina Jolie
• Co-ProducerJay Spangler
• Associate ProducerEmanuel AG

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• death penalty
• kidnapping
• ethiopia
• human rights
• child kidnapping

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2014-01-19· Sundance Film Festival
• Theatrical2015-10-23