tabathou To me Africa United is a good and funny film, in spite of the hard topics of horror and terror in Africa. It made me smile and laugh, especially Dudu. It's a fresh film, with a lot of energy and adventure. It offers a good vision of friendship. It's very entertaining and the soundtrack is brilliant and cool, it made me sing! A lot of different feelings and emotions are in this film, so it's very poignant. And there is a very good cast with young but good and professionals actors. But, it's not the film of the year, because the story is a little bit thin, it's more for children. But, if you want to spend good time... GO AND SEE IT!

trpuk1968 Five youngsters travel across the African continent to reach the opening games of the world cup. Starting in Kigali, Rwanda, talented teenage footballer Fabrice catches the eye of a talent scout who invites him to play at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup. His appointed 'manager' Dudu, played by the hyper Eriya Ndayambaje , hustles him to the nearest bus station and on to the wrong bus. Towing his best friend Beatrice along the three friends decide to walk to the games. If the premise is unbelievable, bear in mind this is a children's / family film and it seems churlish to criticise it too harshly. It throws in a certain amount of realism through entirely location shooting with nice shots of the semi urban landscape of Kigali and a motor park. However this is an Africa which appears slightly too clean for someone whose been there. Where are the piles of plastic rubbish blocking up the open drains? Eriya Ddayanbaje's lead performance of Dudu does begin to grate after a while but works for the target audience. The group of teenagers behind me were giggling away constantly although I felt at times I was watching a safer sex education film, the condom message is so overstated. While well meaning it does continue the idea that everyone in Africa has HIV. This is a serious issue and while HIV affects the lives of many Africans, most people on the continent don't have HIV. Along the journey Dudu and Fabrice meet Foreman George, a former child soldier, a smouldering and moody performance from Yves Dusenge somewhat wasted on this film. No background is furnished, we're simply given this character, taken for granted he's a traumatised kid. No context is given as to how the child soldier phenomenon emerges and its easy for a audience of teenagers to go away from this film imagining that Africa consists of AIDS orphans, child soldiers or teenage sex workers. Without diminishing any of these problems it needs to be remembered the child soldier phenomenon emerged from particular areas of Africa, it isn't and hasn't been continent wide. The conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), largely ignored by the rest of the world, is fuelled by the demand for minerals and the interplay between conflict, child soldiers and global neo liberal capitalism is never alluded to in this film. Maybe thats too much to expect of a children's film but it's frustrating for an audience to bring in the child soldier thing and then not expand it. A similar reluctance takes place to expand the character of Celeste, who when we meet her is a sex worker at a bar on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. This lake borders DRC, again there isn't any context given about the situation here, the complex interplay of colonial histories, exploitation of mineral wealth fuelling conflicts, the ongoing abuses of women such as rape used as a method of control and coercion and so on. Maybe this is too much to ask of a children's film but don't just allude to an issue, give it some proper background. While the film rams home a message that the young people are a team, they all stick together, collaborating for a shared purpose, it ultimately upholds the notion of individualism. Fabrice gets to the World Cup Opening ceremony. His friends conveniently go their own ways. In place of collaborative interdependence, Africa United substitutes neo liberalism, embodied in the spectacle of the world cup, to offer up a facsimile of togetherness. The final shots emphasise Fabrice, close up, walking into the stadium. No mention here of the street traders swept away for the building of the stadium, the homes demolished, the squatters evicted...

Caroline Musgrave I loved every minute of this fantastic film! It is packed full of energy, passion and adventure brought together by an inspiring young cast and brilliant soundtrack. As a former resident of Kigali and visitor to many of the places on route, I enjoyed the beautifully shot footage of stunning Africa and felt transported back to the energy of the places I visited and people I met.The child actors were excellent, telling big stories with a striking honesty and simplicity. I laughed out loud at Dudu's one liners and wiped away a tear as George's story unfolded. A truly brilliant movie and one I will be talking about for a long time to come. My nephews will love it and my friends will love it, it is a film that spans the generations and offers something fun, engaging and insightful for everyone.

lwjcds I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of 'Africa United'. Full of energy, humour, colour, passion - it kept me hooked from start to finish. I laughed many times, and ended with a slightly moist eye that I had to hastily conceal from my partner sitting next to me.The film received a 5-minute standing ovation at the end.I think first and foremost this is a family film. It's not a forensic study of Africa's social or political problems, nor is it a realistic portrayal of the everyday lives of ordinary Africans. Critics complaining about this seem to have missed the point.It's a road movie about the passion and courage of young people. It's magical, like a fairy story. The fact that it's set in Africa enriches this sense of magic - and offers interesting opportunities to explore difficult issues in the context of a family movie. But it's not a commentary on Africa - it's about a group of young people who do something extraordinary in an extraordinary place.The fact that it breaks film-making barriers in Africa (first feature to be filmed in Burundi etc), but keeps its focus firmly on drama and adventure rather than social commentary makes it a very unique 'African' film.I will certainly watch again because it made me laugh and cry. And surely that's enough for any film, irrespective of where it's set.