Half of a Yellow Sun

2013

111 mins

Directed by Biyi Bandele
51%
36%
Drama

Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) and Thandiwe Newton (Crash) star in this drama, a chronicle of family ties and... More

Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) and Thandiwe Newton (Crash) star in this drama, a chronicle of family ties and civil war. Set in Nigeria in the 1960s, two sisters return home after an English education as the violence of the Nigerian Civil War looms in the background. The feature debut from celebrated playwright Biyi Bandele.

Olanna (Newton) moves in with her politically-minded lover Odenigbo (Ejiofor) when she comes home to Nigeria, while her sister Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) falls for an Englishman studying the nation's arts. As Nigeria's independence becomes more than a subject of intellectual speculation and conflict erupts between different ethnic groups within the country, personal betrayals threaten to unravel familial and romantic ties.

Less

Where to watch Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun is available to stream in... More New Zealand now on Google TV and Academy On Demand and AroVision.

Half of a Yellow Sun | Ratings & Reviews

51_%53 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes® rating
36_%1,455 reviews
Audience score rating

"Attractive adaptation... a diverting but surface-level saga that, true to its title, feels less than whole."

—

Variety

"A profound and insightful glimpse into a troubled nation and the consequences on its people..."

—

Urban Cinefile

"Bandele’s keen handling of cast and domestic conflict makes for a nuanced historical epic."

—

Total Film

"Bravely takes on too broad a canvas with too narrow a budget, but it’s a relevant saga that’s worth telling."

—

Time Out

"Rather frothy... Limiting insight to the upper classes of the Igbo and little else – with rather quaint newsreels to plugs the gaps – feels misguided."

—