You Will Die at Twenty

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You Will Die at Twenty

2021

1h 43m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Winner of the Lion of the Future Award for best Debut Feature at the Venice Film Festival, YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY is visually sumptuous "coming-of-death" fable. During her son's naming ceremony, a Sheikh predicts that Sakina's child will die at the age of 20. Haunted by this prophecy, Sakina becomes overly protective of her son Muzamil, who grows up knowing about his fate. As Muzamil escapes Sakina's ever-watchful eye, he encounters friends, ideas and challenges that make him question his destiny. Sudan's first Oscar submission, YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY is an auspicious debut and a moving meditation on what it means to live in the present.

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Critics Consensus

A parable perched between fate and self-determination, You Will Die at Twenty is a striking debut for writer-director Amjad Abu Alala.

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Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

Nov 14, 2021

4/5

Sudanese film-maker Amjad Abu Alala's radiant drama dares to wonder if death could inspire courage rather than fear.

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David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Nov 10, 2021

4/5

Its quiet profundity strikes you hours, days after viewing.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

Nov 8, 2021

4/5

[A] gentle, affecting Sudanese drama...

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Joseph Tomastik

Loud and Clear Reviews

Oct 3, 2024

4.5/5

You Will Die at Twenty is a quietly stirring, hard-hitting look at a boy’s dour predicted fate, how that affects his life, and how such a prediction can do more damage than an actual early death itself.

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

Nov 9, 2021

Spins an intelligent and affecting yarn in complex hues.

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Joseph Fahim

Middle East Eye

Jul 2, 2021

Abu Alala's ideas are quite elementary, explored at a surface-level and never wielded into something complex or thought-provoking.

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T M

@RT55749265 Sep 6, 2026

Nice to watch a film from a corner of the world not often seen by a western audience. Hypnotically effective, well performed and telling of the harm in blindly believing in superstitions and old traditions.

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Mar 3, 2021

The movie is very well made and shows a side of Sudan and the location of the village of Al-Gezira is rarely seen by outsiders. It portrays the culture and way of life in the remote and isolated Sudanese villages. Beautifully captured panoramic scenes and an intriguing storyline that evokes mixed reactions depending on your beliefs, religious or otherwise.

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Amjad Abu Alala

Director

Islam Mubarak

Sakina

Mustafa Shehata

Old Muzamil

Moatasem Rashed

Young Muzamil

Bonna Khalid

Old Naiema

Talal Afifi

Alnour

Souad

89%

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Synopsis

Winner of the Lion of the Future Award for best Debut Feature at the Venice Film Festival, YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY is visually sumptuous "coming-of-death" fable. During her son's naming ceremony, a Sheikh predicts that Sakina's child will die at the age of 20. Haunted by this prophecy, Sakina becomes overly protective of her son Muzamil, who grows up knowing about his fate. As Muzamil escapes Sakina's ever-watchful eye, he encounters friends, ideas and challenges that make him question his destiny. Sudan's first Oscar submission, YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY is an auspicious debut and a moving meditation on what it means to live in the present.

Director: Amjad Abu Alala
Producer: Arnaud Dommerc, Michael Henrichs, Ingrid Lill Høgtun
Screenwriter: Amjad Abu Alala
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: DUOfilm, CNC Aide aux cinémas du monde - Institut Français, Film-Clinic, Die Gesellschaft DGS, Sunny Land Film, Andolfi, Duo Films, Doha Film Institute, Canal+ International, Station Films, Transit Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 22, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 25, 2021
Runtime: 1h 43m

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