Notturno

2020 1h 40m AR

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 53

Documentary

Synopsis

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Shot over three years on the borders between Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria and Lebanon, the film depicts the everyday struggles of people attempting to rebuild their lives amongst the devastating effects of civil wars, dictatorships, foreign invasions, and the deadly presence of ISIS.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gianfranco Rosi
Writers: Gianfranco Rosi
Languages: Kurdish
Countries: Germany, France, Italy

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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

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International production across 3 countries: Germany, France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

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Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gianfranco Rosi, shot by Gianfranco Rosi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt7945450 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 53 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gianfranco Rosi directs. Gianfranco Rosi behind the camera. Jacopo Quadri cuts. Produced in Germany, France, Italy. Dialogue in Kurdish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 6 years ago.
2International production across 3 countries: Germany, France, Italy.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Gianfranco Rosi, shot by Gianfranco Rosi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Jacopo Quadri shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6IMDB entry: tt7945450 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 53 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gianfranco Rosi
Editing: Jacopo Quadri
Sound: Giancarlo Rutigliano
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Status: Released
Original language: AR
IMDB: Notturno (2020)

Also by

Gianfranco Rosi

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-12-04
★ 6/10
Though I found this to be a bit too rudderless for me, there are two quite differently compelling scenes in this documentary from Gianfranco Rosi that stood out for me. The first sees a young lad describing a wall of seemingly innocuous children’s sketches in his classroom that have altogether more sinister meaning, the second sees a group of men, clad in red, imprisoned in a fashion that reminded me of the conditions we might have provided for battery hens. The rest of the imagery here, accrued over some three years of filming, shows just what life in the “Caliphate” was like for communities, especially the Yazidi, across Syria, Kurdistan, Lebanon and parts of Iraq as the zealous and militaristic ISIS enforced it’s interpretation of Islamic law across a fairly expansive region of the Middle East. There’s no narration, just a series of observations that occasionally feature dialogue from amongst a population coming to terms with the ruination of their towns and villages. Though it does reference the excesses of their new authoritarianism, it’s the perilous emptiness of so many existences that are showcased here. People clearly have hope, faith, optimism and that’s quite impressive given the disintegration surrounding their society which is well captured by a photography that is both intimate at times and offers us scale at others. It does meander, though, and perhaps the thousand day timeline lacks for a potent focus. At it’s best, this is a poignant reflection of a life where religiosity and authority subsumed humanity and freedom, and where, despite that, life for many went on in as normal a fashion as possible, but I think it just needed more of a real-life, characterising, spine. It is worth a watch, though.

Production companies