On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

Late one night, Shula discovers her uncle's body lying on an empty road. His funeral draws the extended family together, and in the middle of the mourning rituals Shula and her cousins begin to confront what the dead man did to the women of their household. The film moves between grief and dark comedy as a respectable middle-class Zambian family tries to keep its secrets buried.

Rungano Nyoni directs and writes this, her second feature, following I Am Not a Witch in 2017. Susan Chardy plays Shula, with Elizabeth Chisela, Esther Singini, Blessings Bhamjee, Doris Naulapwa and Henry B.J. Phiri among a credited cast of 53. The production is a British, Irish and American co-production involving A24, Element Pictures, BBC Film and Fremantle, and it runs 99 minutes.

On IMDb the film holds 7 out of 10 from around 2,600 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.6 out of 10 from a much smaller base of 46 votes. A critics' rating of 8.4 out of 10 from 104 reviews places it well above what general audiences recorded on IMDb.