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Moolaadé
User Score
7.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15

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  1. ChadS.
    Apr 4, 2005
    6
    Like Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing", "Moolaade" is shot at a real location, but there's a self-conscious staginess that makes the village feel like it exists on a soundstage. Some of the cast members seem like unprofessional actors who would benefit from a neo-realist approach rather than have them emote as if they were in a play. The horror of female genitalia mutilitation was already formed in my mind, and nothing in "Moolaade" added to it. What this movie does do well is show how traditions in non-western cultures are overtly patriarchal and detrimental for women. The final image, showing how the infiltration of the west is a compromise that's beneficial for the progress of women's rights, is a flash of visual wit that ends a muddled film with an exclamation point.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. Don
    Mar 3, 2005
    10
    Masterpiece!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. EleanorM.
    Jan 8, 2005
    7
    An important topic, and worth seeing for the subject matter. For me though, it is a story that would have been better told documentary style.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. FrankP.
    Nov 6, 2004
    9
    Very thoughtful and beautiful exploration of village African life and it's customs. Important commentary on genital mutilation. All should see it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. BillF.
    Sep 22, 2007
    10
    Phenomenal. Humane and insightful.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. ryancarroll88
    Aug 27, 2010
    9
    In a small village in Africa, a woman stands up to tribal traditions by harboring 4 girls in her house who refuse to partake in "purification' - a mandatory ritual for all women to become married. She uses the tribes own superstitions against them by summoning a 'moolaade,' a spirit who will protect the children from the tribals entering her house. Furthermore, the tribe chief's cosmopolitan son is set to marry the same woman's daughter, only to find out she is a balikoro (unpurified). A foreign street is also there to pass judgment on the whole situation in this fascinating watch.… Expand
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Phil Hall
    40
    Achieves the impossible in taking a genuine socio-political tragedy and turning it into an anvil drama which will fray the patience of the most sympathetic audiences.
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  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    60
    As drama the film mostly serves to illustrate the two sides of this crucial social debate in Africa.
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  3. The New Republic
    Reviewed by: Stanley Kauffmann
    90
    Sembène's love of his people and his commitment to the richness that underlies the poverty of their condition have always made his films gems of truth, as they do once again here.
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