You Will Die at Twenty (ستموت في العشرين) is a stunning Sudanese film from Amju Abu Alala, and I was enraptured by it from its very first shot. It has some really amazing moments in it, and it's visually wonderful. Unfortunately, the film's last act, which should have felt triumphant and wonderful, portrayed an act of rape, representing the old trope of raping a woman as a way to become a man. Of course, the film doesn't ask us to look at this act of rape as if it's rape, which makes the ending of the film all the more troubling. It's a shame, too, because Alala is obviously a wonderful talent, and the film is really quite extraordinary.
Oh! and I'm not including this movie on the Cinema Q list because You Will Die at Twenty is not about queerness at all, but there is a very interesting moment when a sheikh's assistant attempts to seduce our main character. It's a very strange, quite sexy moment, and although we immediately move on, it's very intriguing.
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