A Screaming Man Film Difficulty Ranking: 3
If you’re looking for a drama about a man blinded by his pride forced to look at reality, you’ve come to the right place. A Screaming Man follows former swimming champ, Adam as he lives a life he loves, working as a pool attendant at a luxury hotel. However, as Civil War looms, he’s forced to reconsider what he values most in life.
From: Chad, Africa Watch: Trailer, JustWatch, Kanopy, Tubi Next: Felicite, A Touch of Sin, A Man of Integrity
Living in a Bubble
Like in Song Without a Name and Y Tu Mama Tambien, the signs of unrest exist in the background of Mahamat Saleh Haroun’s A Screaming Man. They’re present in the TV news that Adam watches, and in the conversations of the locals. But to begin with, Adam ignores them. The former Central African swimming champion is completely unfazed as he eats melon whilst watching shots of bloody corpses from the war on TV. He also ignores the calls to arms from the state and his neighbors fleeing the city. As to begin with, all he cares about is his job as a swimming pool attendant at a luxury hotel, and his nickname ‘champ’, which reminds him of his glorious past.
Similarly, he doesn’t even consider the Chinese owned hotel full of Western tourists that he works at as a symbol of modern colonization. As long as he works there, he’s OK without whatever happens in his country. Civil war, globalization, and colonization are all fine, if he can still be in his own world where he’s still the swimming champ.
Swimming as A Elitist Sport
His pride feels a little tongue in cheek. Chad is a landlocked country, and Central Africa is not exactly known globally for its swimmers. Therefore being a swimming champion in the region, is a bit like being the best cricket player in the United States. Plus, the only place that Adam can practice swimming is in the pool at the luxury hotel he works at. It portrays swimming as a luxury sport; a pastime that one can only pursue if they have time and money. It’s therefore a luxury that cannot exist alongside a country increasingly engaged in civil war.
Long Silent Close Ups
When Adam loses his job because of the cuts at the hotel, he’s finally forced to realize that what he thought was important is no longer important. It’s at this point, halfway through the movie, that the chilled shots of Adam enjoying his job, chatting with his colleagues and family, and relaxing at home are replaced with close up shots of his sad face, silent in contemplation. His proud aura has been broken and replaced with doubt. His pride breaks him.
What to Watch Next
If you’re after more stories about proud characters getting screwed by the country, check out A Man of Integrity from Iran and A Touch of Sin from China.
You could also check out Felicite, the story of a Congolese singer trying to work up money to pay for her son’s hospital bills.
','' ); } ?>