Lingui – The Sacred Bonds achieved an overall appreciation score of 75.0%. Most members found this a compassionate and sensitive watch with beautiful cinematography. However, some found it too simplistic, slow and unrealistic. Some of the comments submitted:
- Beautiful cinematography, very clever way to tell the story through close-ups of facial expressions revealing the internal thoughts of the characters, Interspersed with the freneticism of the external world.
- A very sensitive look into the problems of severe poverty in Chad and the difficulties faced by unwanted pregnancy after rape in a Muslim society. Very well handled and excellent photography in a limited area of one town.
- The photography was beautiful. I felt I was there witnessing every moment, the emotion was tangible, the topic poignant.
- A lovely film with a heartwarming ending. I really enjoyed it. Glad that you were able to show it.
- A close up study of the lives and struggles of a mother and daughter. Astonishing colours and striking images. Probably the most beautiful looking film I have seen at the film society.
- Slow starter which then became a colourful celebration of mother/daughter/female bonds in a patriarch society.
- It was a slow burn but the film sensitively examined a number of key issues regarding the treatment of women in muslim countries by men. It had a satisfying and reasonably positive ending.
- Nice to see women come out on top in what could have been an extremely repressive watch. Enjoyed it because of this but still felt the suffocating mysogynism.
- Strong content with meaningful intent but I felt it was slightly sanitised.
- Wonderful photography, colourful and intense in places. Serious issues sensitively handled.
- A really interesting film about entrenched cultural and religious practices which can carry horrific consequences. In one way an uplifting story about the way the women can undermine the rules, but it’s a deeply depressing story.
- I really enjoyed this film. I thought it was a brave film to make, especially as we see the events from the woman’s point of view, and the film was quite critical of hard line religious values.
- Nicely filmed in a fascinating location. A gentle and elegant film though at times it felt simplistic and stilted.
- Although well acted, I found that the film didn’t give me any more insight (than I already had) into life for women in this kind of patriarchal, misogynistic society (the fat husband distributing money during the FGM was a particularly nauseating character). I guess the (relatively) ‘happy’ ending is probably typical of about 0.01% of situations like this, so rather misleading.
- Nicely photographed in a fascinating location. A gentle and elegant film but at times I found it simplistic and stilted.
- Interesting but rather slow.
- Too slow and some parts seemed very unrealistic.
- Back to one dimensional depressing docu-films again. We had an in depth graphic abortion film last season and so would have appreciated a different topic this season please.