Rating: 4/5
Set in the years leading up to the secession of South Sudan, Goodbye Julia tells the tale of an unlikely friendship between two women in a racially divided nation. The story revolves around Mona and Julia, two women who could not be more different. Mona is North Sudanese, wealthy, and a Muslim. Julia on the other hand is a Southerner, poor, and a Christian. The two are brought together in unusual circumstances, but the friendship that forms between them transcends the volatile racial tensions of Sudan in the 2000s.
Goodbye Julia does not have a happy ending. Yet it skillfully condenses decades of religious, ethnic and economic divisions into a potent, yet engaging film. Having watched this movie, one catches a rare glimpse into a conflict that many have never heard of. However, it also serves as yet another painful reminder of the impacts of war, discrimination, and division on ordinary people.
