Half of a Yellow Sun | Rotten Tomatoes

Half of a Yellow Sun

R

Released May 16, 2014

1 hr. 53 min.

Drama

List

51%

53 Reviews

Tomatometer

36%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Twin sisters (Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose) from a wealthy Nigerian family take wildly different paths in life, but both become swept up in the struggle to establish Biafra as an independent republic.

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Critics Consensus

While it doesn't quite do justice to the source material, Half of a Yellow Sun adapts Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel with committed performances and narrative nuance.

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Molly A

Cheapened the memory of the book. Wonderful casting, however, the scripts' rigid adherence to the novel's key sentences instead of the true story saw the acting appear melodramatic. Would have loved to see a more accurate character development for Kainene and Ugwu (the latter being largely ignored) as well as a deepening of the relationship between the various main characters (particularly between the twins). The film also brushed over the effects of war, and while admittingly staying away from sensationalized war porn, it also ignored the gruelling years of hunger and poverty spent in refugee camps and the relationships formed there (e.g with Alice, the priests, Eberechi etc). Also, interesting absences included Mohammad, all of Ugwu's family and personality, Mama Ojwi, Adanna and High-Tech. A decent movie to watch after reading the book, to remind you how good the book was and how badly films can reflect them.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/17/23

Full Review

Serge L

Two couples survive the woes of war in Biafra. Film for TV but with a complicated history. The war is not shown to be very bloody.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/09/20

Full Review

Audience Member

Felt very rushed and incomplete compared to the book but still some emotional scenes with a great cast

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

WARNING YOU HAVE GOT TO WATCH THE END OF THE CREDITS THROUGHOUT THIS MOVIE AS SOMETHING HAPPENES AT THE END OF THE CREDITS THROUGHOUT THIS MOVIE........

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The film splits its plot between a strained relationship and the Nigerian Civil War, and never fully explores either aspect, however it's still a decent drama.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Starts okay but so disjointed and lousy script the film was a waste of effort

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

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Biyi Bandele

Director

Thandiwe Newton

Olanna

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Odenigbo

Anika Noni Rose

Kainene

Joseph Mawle

Richard

Hakeem Kae-Kazim

Captain

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Kate Muir

Times (UK)

Director Biyi Bandele adapted the book, which was superb and gut-wrenching, but the film turns turgid and shies away from showing the true horrors of the war and is the poorer for it.

Dec 31, 2017

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Biyi Bandele has excerpted their story from a much wider-ranging narrative, but the action here is still so tightly compressed that this feels like a precis for a movie twice its length.

Aug 7, 2014

Full Review

Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

The best of the movie finds a way to abridge the novel and still allow the scenes to breathe.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 31, 2014

Full Review

Tom Bond

One Room With A View

There's nothing terrible about Half of a Yellow Sun, but not much good either. A powerful novel has been neutered.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 11, 2019

Full Review

Alexa Dalby

Dog and Wolf

Overall, it's a fascinating slice of modern history that may be unfamiliar to some, which can also give us an insight into the making of contemporary Nigeria.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 7, 2019

Full Review

Cate Young

BattyMamzelle

Half Of A Yellow Sun is a compelling drama [that] ( ... ) form[s] a timeless tribute to the resistance of the human spirit in the face of war time struggle.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 10, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Twin sisters (Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose) from a wealthy Nigerian family take wildly different paths in life, but both become swept up in the struggle to establish Biafra as an independent republic.

Director: Biyi Bandele
Executive Producer: Norman Merry
Screenwriter: Biyi Bandele
Distributor: Monterey Media
Production Co: British Film Institute, Lipsync Productions
Rating: R (Some Violence|Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 29, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $53.6K

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