Wracked by guilt after covering up a murder, Mona tries to make amends by taking in the deceased’s southern Sudanese widow Julia, and her son Daniel, into her home. Julia’s and Mona’s lives are starkly different. Julia leads a precarious existence with an otherwise happy son and husband, while Mona is childless with a controlling spouse, albeit enjoying relative luxury. As unrest breaks out, heightened racial prejudices shatter Julia’s life. She comes to be hired as Mona’s domestic worker, but even as their relationship deepens into that of confidantes, hidden guilt and secret dreams threaten to surface and unravel. Set in Khartoum during the years prior to South Sudan’s independence and beautifully shot with a soft warmth and authenticity, Goodbye Julia deftly weaves the personal into complex sociopolitical contexts, delivering a thoughtful drama at once tender and tense.
Sudan, Sweden, Germany, Saudi Arabia, France, Egypt
Language:
Arabic
Runtime:
116 minutes
Year:
2023
Credits
Director:
Mohamed Kordofani
Screenwriter:
Mohamed Kordofani
Producer:
Amjad Abu Alala, Mohamed Al Omda
Executive Producer:
Lupita Nyong’o
Co-Producer:
Marc Irmer, Mohamed Kordofani, Michael Henrichs, Issraa Elkogali Häggström, Safei ElDin Mahmoud, Baho Bakhsh, Adham El Sherif, Ali El Arabi, Faisal Baltyuor, Khalid Awad
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