Sweetness in the Belly (2019)

Sweetness in the Belly: Directed by Zeresenay Mehari. With Wunmi Mosaku, Rafael Goncalves, Dakota Fanning, Chris McHallem. Based on the novel by Camilla Gibb, Lilly is an English child abandoned in Africa, forced to flee Ethiopia for England amid civil war. There she befriends Amina, an Ethiopian refugee, and they begin a mission to reunite scattered families.

“I watched this movie straight after having finished the book – which was my mistake. I guess I didnu0026#39;t see the movie for what it was on itu0026#39;s own. I thought Dakota was amazing and the actress who played Amina stole my heart. Yahya Abdul Mateen was a good choice for Aziz I believe. The problem was with fast pacing, and the fact that some scenes just donu0026#39;t make sense unless you read the book and understand it more. Characters were not as fleshed out as was needed to truly sympathise with them and understand why they say the things they do. Of course in just under 2 hours we canu0026#39;t expect the film to show everything that happens in the book, but some pivotal points like how Lily and Aziz eventually got together was skimmed over in the film for me. Overall it managed to find itu0026#39;s way through the plot but failed to fully capture the soul within sweetness in the belly,”