This film, which was shown at MaP's AV centre on Tuesday, left many people heavy hearted as they had mixed interpretations. It is a 92 minutes movie directed by Mahamat Saleh Haroun. It is set in Chad during the country's civil war. At the time, the rebels wanted to take over the country and due to their immense power, the government pleaded "war efforts" from the people of Chad, through either donating money or one family member to join the armed force. Adam Ousmane Dioucounda Hoka, a former swimming champion, played by Youssouf Djaoro, enjoyed a happy life and his joy was centered around his job, wife and son.
Even though his friends called him a "poor man", who worked as a hotel pool attendant, he was a very caring man who loved his family very much. All this changed after the hotel was taken over by new Chinese owners who demoted him from the job that he loved and had worked at for 20 years, to a 'mere' security guard. At the time, Hoka, who also worked with his son Abdel Ousmane, played by Emile Abossolo M'ba. He became heartbroken after he was forced to give up his old job to his son. This made the old man upset and he became resentful towards the young Abdel.
