Waiting for Happiness

2002 1h 31m FR

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 30

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Before immigrating to the West, Abdallah travels to the coastal city of Nouadhibou, Mauritania, to visit his mother. Although he grew up there, Abdallah feels anything but at home in his old neighborhood: he can no longer speak the local dialect and he wears western clothes that immediately cast him as an outsider. But, as Abdallah spends time with a young boy and an elderly electrician, he can't help but feel a sense of loss for the life he's abandoning.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Khatra Ould Abder Kader
Khatra
Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid
Maata
Mohamed Mahmoud Ould
Abdallah
Nana Diakité
Nana
Fatimetou Mint Ahmeda
Soukeyna, the mother
Makanfing Dabo
Makan
Santha Leng
Tchu
Baba Ould Mini
Sidi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Abderrahmane Sissako
Writers: Abderrahmane Sissako
Languages: Arabic, French
Countries: Mauritania, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Mauritania, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, shot by Jacques Besse. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nadia ben Rachid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Khatra Ould Abder Kader and Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid and Mohamed Mahmoud Ould carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0308363 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 30 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Abderrahmane Sissako directs. Jacques Besse behind the camera. Nadia ben Rachid cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Mauritania, France. Dialogue in Arabic, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 24 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, French.
3International production across 2 countries: Mauritania, France.
4Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, shot by Jacques Besse. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Nadia ben Rachid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Khatra Ould Abder Kader and Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid and Mohamed Mahmoud Ould carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0308363 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 30 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.