Tumult

Seven years in the making, this is a landmark in Ethiopian film-making. It's set during the period of political upheaval pre-dating the dismissal of Haile Selassie in 1974, and personalises the conflicting pulls on the younger members of Ethiopia's middle (and upper) class elite in the story of Yoseph, who joins anti-government rebels following his return from studies in America. Yemane I Demisse (director, producer, writer, editor and production designer) adopts a desultory tone that echoes the feeling of malaise and defeat that met the rebels when the country failed to ignite in opposition. Following the young man on the run, the film observes people and events afresh, albeit now from a hunted perspective. An impressive, sophisticated work, with a controlled handling of mood, actors, and location, but the resonances produced by the use of religious music, ethnic song and poetry may be lost on many non-Ethiopians.