Goodbye Julia

Mohamed Kordofani's 2023 film was the first Sudanese film shown in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes and won the Prix de la Liberté. Mona, a retired singer from northern Sudan, carries guilt for covering up her part in a man's death and hires his southern widow, Julia, as her maid. Unable to confess, she tries to compensate, but as unrest grows in the country the secret comes under threat. The film's strength is placing the racism between north and south not in the background but inside the daily relationship between two women. Kordofani does this not through accusation but by showing how good intentions can perpetuate inequality. The story moves toward the referendum on South Sudan's independence, and the personal narrative and the division of the country meet on the same line. Who it's for: viewers interested in African cinema, Sudanese history and films about power between two women. Who it's not for: anyone avoiding scenes of violence and death, or who will struggle with some transitions without knowing the political background.