The Village Next to Paradise

Set in a rural village in the Somali desert ravaged by both natural and man-made disasters, Mo Harawe’s directorial debut leaves the idea of paradise open to interpretation. The Village Next to Paradise (2024) follows Mamargade (Ahmed Ali Farah), a gravedigger and father, as he struggles to support his family amid relentless drone strikes, socio-political unrest, and natural catastrophes that constantly threaten their existence. Yet, despite the looming destruction, the village pulses with life and colour – fragile, but resilient. It teeters on the brink of collapse, while still holding onto a sense of hope and possibility.

One of the brightest possibilities in question is Marargade’s gifted son Cigaal (Ahmed Mohamud Saleban), who steals the show with his quiet, unassuming presence. At first glance, he appears to be an ordinary, well-behaved child – sharing details of his dreams with his best friend at school and playing simple games like tossing water bottles with his father. But as the film progresses, layers of his character reveal a maturity far beyond his years, not in a precocious way, but in the solemn way children often grow up faster in times of war. Drone strikes, for example, are so frequent in his village that Cigaal doesn’t even look up when their ominous hum fills the air while he lounges on the beach with his father.

His calm demeanour also hints at an almost military-grade discipline, especially in moments of crisis. When a disaster strikes at the hospital and his father tells him to cover his eyes, Cigaal obediently complies as the chaos seems to unfold around him going by urgent and frightening sounds. His stoicism carries over to his transition to boarding school, where, despite his reluctance, he cooperates without protest. 

Although he isn’t given adult tasks, the contrast between his childlike mannerisms and his soldier-like composure is haunting. Cigaal eats noodles with his hands while the adults at the boarding school use utensils. He watches silently as his aunt builds her own tailoring shop, offering no help. Even so, his composed, dutiful bearing suggests nothing short of a proper soldier. 

While father-son duos are frequently featured in works of this nature, the character that most closely parallels Cigaal is the son in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Both boys stand solemnly at the crossroads of childhood innocence and the harsh demands of their environments, growing up faster than their bodies in a brutal world. Although some of the film’s sequences may feel drawn out, Harawe exhibits immense skill in capturing Cigaal’s nuances. The Village Next To Paradise is a promising showcase of the filmmaker’s talents in visual style and character-driven storytelling that leaves audiences looking forward to his future endeavours.

Christina Yang

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Watch the trailer for The Village Next to Paradise here: