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Waiting for Happiness

A scene from Waiting for Happiness


Nouadhibou is a small seaside village on the Mauritanian coast. Amongst its white- washed buildings and melodic songs passed down through generations, lives intertwine while waiting for a hypothetical happiness...
Seventeen-year-old Abdallah is visiting his mother in Muaritania before emigrating to Europe. Unable to speak the local language, the melancholic young man finds himself a stranger in the country. Traditional colourful fabrics interest him less than the latest European fashions. He shies away from village customs and festivities. Yet Abdallah observers this touching universe so unknown to him - the sorrow of the sensual young Nana; a Chinese immigrant's romantic karaoke; old handyman Maata's frustrations with faulty electrical hook-ups. And the orphaned young boy Khatra with his wide-eyed curiosity and natural ability to evoke hope and tenderness.

Dir Abderrahmane Sissako with Khatra Ould Abdel Kader, Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamed France /Mauratania 2002 95 mins