Half of a Yellow Sun

Writer-director Biyi Bandele's adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's acclaimed novel offers an intelligent encapsulation of the political and emotional issues shaping the Nigerian Civil War that wrecked the African nation during the late 1960s. Following Nigeria's independence in 1960, twin sisters Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) embark on radically different life routes: Olanna leaves her upper class family to live with Odenigbo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a radical professor based in the dusty regional university town of Nsukka, while Kainene falls for a mild-mannered English writer (Joseph Mawle). While the material has the potential for a sprawling epic of deep emotional angst set against a violent political conflict that culminates in the tragic Biafra uprising, the film feels truncated. Still, Bandele keeps the pace moving at a crisp gallop, while the excellent cast ably creates a large degree of intrigue and sympathy in their various machinations. An imperfect work, this should still be considered a strong optional purchase. (P. Hall)