Overview
A poignant tale of resilience in the face of oppression and terror.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- austere
- poetic
- witty
- world cinema night
- political film discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a gracefully assembled, powerful, humane, and disquieting depiction of extremism and civilian resistance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film depicts jihadist rule with calm visual control while allowing absurd punishments and civilian suffering to accumulate into moral outrage.
Banned music, cigarettes, laughter, and soccer are set against domestic tenderness, humor, work, and communal resilience.
The dunes and sparse Sahelian surroundings frame Kidane's family life and the expanding reach of coercive authority.
The film combines a family-centered catastrophe with episodic stories of townspeople facing improvised courts and religious decrees.
Films like Timbuktu, and why
The Insult
shared humanist war drama, moral clarity, and intimate depiction of civilians under religious extremism
The Battle of Algiers
shared African setting, political violence, dignity under oppression, and formally restrained humanism
The White Ribbon
shared poetic realism, social injustice, and emphasis on ordinary people resisting oppressive systems
Waltz with Bashir
shared contemplative pacing, tragic fable-like storytelling, and critique of fundamentalism
Movie Details
- Director
- Abderrahmane Sissako
- Release Date
- 2014-12-10
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (527)
Cast
- Ibrahim Ahmed
- Toulou Kiki
- Layla Walet Mohamed
- Abel Jafri
- Kettly Noël
- Hichem Yacoubi
- Mehdi A.G. Mohamed
- Fatoumata Diawara
- Adel Mahmoud Cherif
- Salem Dendou
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Cohen Media Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Timbuktu about?
- A poetic Sahelian drama portrays a cattle herder’s family and a besieged town confronting the absurd cruelty of jihadist rule.
- What is Timbuktu like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Timbuktu as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Timbuktu violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Timbuktu as moderate.
- What did critics think of Timbuktu?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a gracefully assembled, powerful, humane, and disquieting depiction of extremism and civilian resistance.
- Which films are like Timbuktu?
- Films with a similar feel include The Insult, The Battle of Algiers, The White Ribbon, and Waltz with Bashir.
- How long is Timbuktu?
- Timbuktu runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Timbuktu?
- In United States, Timbuktu streams on Cohen Media Amazon Channel.
