goodbye julia

Goodbye Julia

Directed by Mohamed Kordofani
Sudan | 2023 | Narrative
120 minutes

The film begins in Sudan, July 2005, just six months after the signing of the Naivasha peace treaty, which brought an end to Africa's longest civil war. The war displaced millions, most of whom moved to Khartoum, mostly working in manual labor and minimum wage jobs. One night Mona, a wealthy retired singer, accidentally hits a child with her car and drives away. Burdened by guilt and depression, she covertly searches for the victim’s family to offer some compensation. After a brief search, she finds the mother, Julia, whose husband has mysteriously disappeared. While Mona is relieved to know that the child, Daniel, is still alive, she is unable to admit what really happened. Instead she offers her a job to work for her as a housemaid. Julia accepts the offer and moves in with her son. Despite the dishonesty, Mona's relationship with Julia grows into a true friendship, especially as her marriage deteriorates. Their shared love for singing leads them to Joseph, a radical separatist soldier determined to promote a vote for political independence and to use his military ties to help Julia uncover what really happened to her husband.