At The Movies: Goodbye Julia
Set shortly before the secession of Southern Sudan, Goodbye Julia highlights the different attitudes between North and South but via an emotionally-charged storyline.
Northerners consider themselves more elitist and treat the Southerners almost with contempt: unintelligent, uneducated, not worthy of holding decent jobs, etc.
Mona, a Northerner, was a singer but forced to retire by her jealous, suspicious and controlling husband Akram – they are well off but it is not a very loving relationship. Meanwhile, across town, Julia and Santino live with their young son Danny in poverty, but in love. Both couple’s lives are turned upside down when, distracted, Mona runs down Danny in her car. When Santino comes out to confront her she panics and flees the scene, with Santino in hot pursuit. When she arrives home Akram warns Santino to back down, and unaware of what has transpired, shoots the angry father. Police records are falsified, because he was only Southerner.
Julia’s constant search for her missing husband hits roadblocks at every turn, but Mona is able to “buy” the information required to locate Julia. Wracked with guilt she eventually hires Julia as her maid, hoping that by giving her a regular job it may ease her overwhelming feelings of guilt. You can tell throughout the movie that her secret is tormenting Mona and she is almost desperate to confess both to Akram and Julia.
In a gesture she hopes will ease her burden she pays for Danny to attend a private school – normally reserved for Northerners – and for Julia to attend university. Akram is totally opposed to the blossoming friendship and is constantly urging Mona to make friends with their Northern neighbours. While all this is happening there is considerable political and social turmoil brewing between North and South.
This multi-Award winning movie is well worth seeing, as we hear so much adverse political news coming out of Sudan. This helps to put in into context from a Sudanese point of view. An excellent film!
Movie Review by John Glennie
Screening at Palace Nova Eastend, Wallis Mitcham and The Mercury
Rating: M
Runtime: 120 minutes
