Darwin’s Nightmare (2005)
91%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
15 wins & 5 nominations total
Darwin’s Nightmare is a film that immerses the viewer in the harsh reality of the crisis in modern Africa, exposing the devastating effects of European greed and decadence on the continent’s natural resources. Sauper’s unflinching approach to the subject matter is both brave and intelligent, allowing the audience to make their own connections through snippets of life that prove to be both memorable and heartbreakingly great. The Nile perch serves as a powerful metaphor for the corrosive effects of globalization, and Sauper’s camera captures Tanzania’s nastiness with gloomy forthrightness. This urgent and horrific vision of Africa is a howl waiting to be heard, and Sauper’s instincts as an artist and a man rule out any kind of rhetoric or cheapness, making Darwin’s Nightmare a must-see for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the world we live in.
Darwin’s Nightmare is a film that will make you want to hug your pet fish and never let go. The documentary takes a deep dive into the devastating effects of imperialism and globalization on the people of Tanzania, all while showcasing the Nile perch, a fish that is both a blessing and a curse. The film doesn’t hold back in showing the harsh realities of poverty and exploitation, but it also manages to find moments of beauty and humanity in the midst of it all. It’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to learn more about the complex issues facing Africa today, or for anyone who just really loves fish.
Production Company(ies)
Les Films, du Poisson Arte France Cinéma Entre Chien et Loup
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Lake Victoria, Tanzania
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Russian, Swahili
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 11, 2004 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 26, 2007
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, Nile perch, Lake Victoria, ecological disaster, globalization, Hubert Sauper, directed by Hubert Sauper, written by Hubert Sauper, produced by Edouard Mauriat, Antonin Svoboda, Martin Gschlacht, Barbara Albert, Hubert Toint, Hubert Sauper, reviewed by Ty Burr, John Monaghan, David Denby, Moira MacDonald, Owen Gleiberman, Kenneth Turan, Kam Williams, Scott Mendelson, Dan Jardine, Jay Antani, Rob Thomas, Phil Villarreal, genre, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, Antonin Svoboda, Martin Gschlacht, Barbara Albert, Hubert Toint, Hubert Sauper as producers, Edouard Mauriat as producer, English language, Sep 11, 2004 original release date, Jun 26, 2007 streaming release date, $203.6K gross USA box office, 1h 47m runtime, documentary about Nile perch in Lake Victoria, shocking effects of globalization, African crisis, ecological disaster, imperialism, anti-globalist conviction, European greed, Lake Victoria’s marine life, Nile perch’s tendency to consume its own young, Tanzania, Russian pilots, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, factory managers, airport security, minister, local artist
Worldwide gross: $2,981,713
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,544,081
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,207
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 495,538
US/Canada gross: $203,746
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $310,506
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,454
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,072
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $12,302
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,661
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Edouard Mauriat – Producer
Antonin Svoboda – Producer
Martin Gschlacht – Producer
Barbara Albert – Producer
Hubert Toint – Producer
Director(s)
Hubert Sauper
Writer(s)
Hubert Sauper
Producer(s)
Edouard Mauriat, Antonin Svoboda, Martin Gschlacht, Barbara Albert, Hubert Toint, Hubert Sauper
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
15 wins & 5 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (5)
November 24, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
The movie prefers to show snippets of life and let the audience make the connections. Many of these scenes prove memorable.
March 31, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
If Sauper is fired up by anti-globalist conviction, his instincts as an artist and as a man rule out any kind of rhetoric or cheapness.
February 28, 2006
David Denby
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
The words Being poor is like being old are scrawled on the door of a shack; like this movie, it’s a howl waiting to be heard.
February 24, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Darwin’s Nightmare is an urgent, horrific, yet at times oddly blinkered vision of the crisis of modern Africa.
February 15, 2006 | Rating: B
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
It immerses you in its reality one toe at a time, until suddenly you are in over your head, gasping for air as the horror of the situation reveals itself in all its savage devastation.
February 9, 2006 | Rating: 5/5
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Contrasts European greed and decadence with the fallout visited upon Africa due to the relentless rape of its natural resources in the name of profit.
June 22, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
Kam Williams
Black Collegian
May 7, 2007 | Rating: C
Scott Mendelson
rec.arts.movies.reviews
A film of intelligence and great empathy that examines the corrosive effects of imperialism on people often left off the pages of history’s textbooks. A heartbreakingly great film.
April 2, 2007 | Rating: 90/100
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide
absolutely brave, unflinching
August 20, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Jay Antani
Cinema Writer
If Sauper wanted to dream up a metaphor for the corrosive effects of globalization, he couldn’t think of one much better than the Nile perch.
May 11, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Sauper’s camera, which would fog up if it had tear ducts, looks over Tanzania’s nastiness with gloomy forthrightness.
April 20, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star…
Plot
Darwin’s Nightmare is a documentary about the devastating effects of introducing the Nile perch into Lake Victoria, which wiped out other marine life and caused ecological disaster in the region.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels does not provide any goofy or funny comments about the film Darwin’s Nightmare or anyone in the cast.
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