Timbuktu Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Timbuktu Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 22, 2015

Winner of François Chalais Award and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Film Festival, Abderrahmane Sissako's "Timbuktu" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and a music clip. In Arabic, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Under siege

Earlier this week, CNN published an article about yet another shocking execution committed by ISIS fighters in what used to be Syria. According to the article, in the besieged ancient city of Palmyra, 82-year-old Khaled al-As'ad was beheaded in the public square because he refused to disclose the location of some archeological treasures. Al-As'ad was university professor and the former general manager for antiquities and museums in Palmyra.

Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako’s new film, Timbuktu, is set in an ancient city that has also been overtaken by Muslim fundamentalists. The men are from different nationalities -- some are from local tribes, some from neighboring countries, and some from European countries -- and most communicate with the help of a translator. What has brought them together is their hatred for the old order which allows the local people to freely speak up their minds, wear comfortable clothes, play music, and talk about soccer.

Inside the city, the fundamentalists have introduced a new order defined by rules that ban any form of individuality. A strict Sharia court has also been formed and anyone that does not respect the new order is promptly arrested and judged. The court’s verdict for the troublemakers is almost always the same: death.

This hugely disturbing medieval reality is seen through the eyes of a Bedouin herder (Ibrahim Ahmed) living with his family in the nearby desert. After he accidentally kills one of his neighbors, the herder is arrested and brought before the court where he is asked to defend himself. The trial is essentially a doomed clash of ideas that exposes the hypocrisy of the new order. Of course, religion has a key role in it.

Given recent developments in Syria and Iraq, it is absolutely impossible not to think of Sissako’s film as a chilling reflection of reality. Everything in it, from the delusional jihadist statements to the manner in which religion is used to excuse barbarism, is clearly fueled by the same extremist views that are responsible for the bloodshed in the Middle East.

The second half can be interpreted in two different ways. The herder’s fearless acceptance of the court’s verdict can be seen as an incredible act of bravery because his love for his family and freedom proves far stronger than the empty words of the jihadists. But there is also a chilling sense of desperation that emerges, a realization that something precious has been irreversibly lost, and it isn’t difficult to understand why while witnessing the madness. So after the final credits roll one wonders: How can human beings behave as the jihadists do in the film?

Despite the tense atmosphere the visuals frequently have a striking poetic beauty. Many of the panoramic vistas from the desert remind of Vittorio Storaro’s work in Bernardo Bertolucci’s period epic The Sheltering Sky.

In 2015, Timbuktu was selected to represent Mauritania in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 87th Academy Awards. It was the country’s first ever submission to the category.

Timbuktu Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Abderrahmane Sissako's Timbuktu arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.

Shot with the Arri Alexa Plus camera, the film looks exceptionally rich and vibrant. The daylight footage looks particularly impressive -- depth and clarity are sensational and fluidity as good as one can expect from a contemporary film. Colors are very rich and vibrant, but never appearing artificially boosted. Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are no encoding anomalies to report in our review. To sum it all up, this is a fantastic technical presentation of Timbuktu that makes it exceptionally easy to appreciate the artistic vision of its creator. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Timbuktu Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Arabic: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Arabic LPCM 2.0 (with tiny bits of French and English). Imposed white English subtitles are provided for the main feature (they cannot be turned off via the main menu or the remote control). They appear inside the image frame.

The 5.1 track effectively opens up the film -- there isn't any exceptional surround movement, but the excellent separation certainly adds to the intensity (see the hunting scene in the beginning of the film). The music is well balanced and there is an excellent range of nuanced dynamics. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow.

Timbuktu Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Timbuktu. Music only, not subtitled. (2 min).

• "Timbuktu Fasso" Music Clip - Music only. (4 min).

Timbuktu Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A famous political TV commentator recently said that what is happening in parts of the Middle East now isn't any different than what happened in Europe in the early 1940s. It is difficult not to agree. Some of the excuses that have justified the violence and barbarism might be slightly different, but the madness is similar. Abderrahmane Sissako's new film, Timbuktu, takes its audience on a journey to the heart of a city that has been besieged by religious fundamentalists and offers plenty of food for thought. Do not miss it. It is one of the most powerful films you will see this year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.