{"id":31222,"date":"2026-05-22T09:19:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/msfilmfestival.fi\/?post_type=movies&p=31222"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:19:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:19:06","slug":"waiting-for-happiness","status":"publish","type":"movies","link":"https:\/\/msfilmfestival.fi\/en\/movies\/waiting-for-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Waiting for Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aberrahmane Sissako\u2019s<\/a> breakthrough film derives its original, metaphorical title from the fishing town of Nouadhibou and its temporary dwellings called <\/span>heremakono<\/span><\/i>, meaning \u201cwaiting for happiness.” The film\u2019s central setting, Mauritania\u2019s second largest city, is a liminal place of estrangement for many on their journey toward emigration to Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Waiting for Happiness<\/span><\/i> examines a particular sense of alienation and otherness amid expectations and between cultures. The protagonist Abdallah \u2013 possibly a self-portrait of Sissako \u2013 has come to visit his mother once more before returning to his studies in Europe. Abdallah asks the young orphan boy named Khatra, the film\u2019s embodiment of hope, to teach him the local language. The young boy is practically condemned to remain in the city for the rest of his life \u2013 as is Maata, the mysterious and wise electrician of the \u201cold school\u201d who has adopted him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poeticized through luminous images of the ocean and sandy shores, the film makes beautiful observations about questions of rootlessness and globalization in West African reality. The quiet and serenely sensual narration masterfully succeeds in breaking our hearts as it follows characters one would not wish to see lose their souls under the colonizing dangers of Europeanization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Timo Malmi<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aberrahmane Sissako\u2019s breakthrough film derives its original, metaphorical title from the fishing town of Nouadhibou and its temporary dwellings called heremakono, meaning \u201cwaiting for happiness.” The film\u2019s central setting, Mauritania\u2019s second largest city, is a liminal place of estrangement for many on their journey toward emigration to Europe. Waiting for Happiness examines a particular sense… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"featured_media":31220,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-31222","movies","type-movies","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","filters-special-guests-films","filters-subtitles-in-english-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWaiting for Happiness — Midnight Sun Film Festival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aberrahmane Sissako\u2019s breakthrough film derives its original, metaphorical title from the fishing town of Nouadhibou and its temporary dwellings called heremakono, meaning \u201cwaiting for happiness." 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