Get us in your inbox

Half of a Yellow Sun

  • Film
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Half a Yellow Sun
Advertising

Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

This well-acted adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s award-winning novel starts like a college soap opera, before turning into a Nigerian ‘Gone with the Wind’. It follows the fortunes of sisters caught up in the aftermath of the country’s 1960 independence. Thandie Newton and Anika Noni Rose shine as English-educated twins: both return home to play their part in nation-building, only to be swept along by conflict.

This first feature by British-based, Nigerian-born playwright Biyi Bandele makes strong use of newsreel archive. But Bandele struggles to inject emotion: Chiwetel Ejiofor’s academic and Joseph Mawle’s writer barely seem worthy of the passion expended on them by Newton and Rose. ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ bravely takes on too broad a canvas with too narrow a budget, but it’s a relevant saga that’s worth telling.

Written by Trevor Johnston

Release Details

  • Rated:15
  • Release date:Friday 11 April 2014
  • Duration:111 mins

Cast and crew

  • Director:Biyi Bandele
  • Screenwriter:Biyi Bandele
  • Cast:
    • Chiwetel Ejiofor
    • Thandie Newton
    • Anika Noni Rose
    • Joseph Mawle
Advertising
You may also like
You may also like