Nefta Football Club (2018) User Reviews

Two Brothers and a Donkey

[MovieJunkie5 · 8/10 · 31 January 2020]

This is one of my favorite short movies of 2019. It mixes drama and comedy so well and so smoothly. The part where they were talking about Adele and Pavlov really nailed it for me and the end is so heartwarming and innocent. Really enjoyed it and recommend you go see it!

music for your donkey

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 19 August 2019]

Greetings again from the darkness. Two men are hanging out in the desert anxiously awaiting the arrival of a donkey with headphones. The donkey is found, but not by the men. Instead two young boys accidentally discover the animal on the Algerian border, as well as the dozen or so bags of white powder being carried in the satchels on the donkey's back.

Minutes earlier the two boys were arguing about who is the best professional futbol player, and now the younger boy is convinced the substance is laundry detergent and that they will get punished for stealing it. The older boy has more ambitious ideas.

Writer-director Yves Piat delivers a 17 minute comedy-drama that reminds us sometimes 'ignorance is bliss', and also provides two key life lessons: always communicate with your partner, and never mix up Adele music with Hadel. This France/Tunisia production leaves us with a nice laugh.

More entertaining and fun than you'd expect given the background, but it works nicely

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 10 February 2020]

"Nefta Football Club" is a co-production between France, Tunisia and Algeria that resulted in this 17-minute live action movie in the French language. The wriiter and director is Yves Piat and if we can trust his body of work listed here on imdb, then this is the first of only two films he made and it's been way over a decade since the first. So big comeback for him. One Messi and Mahrez can only dream of. This little movie achieved a great deal of awards recognition, so I was a bit surprised hardly anybody thought it could win the Oscar last night and that it was between two other short films. Well, they were still right. I personally believe though that these two (including the actual winner) are inferior to this one we have here, which was by the wway among the shorter nominees this year. I personally would say it is my second favorite (behind the marvellous Belgian entry) from the nominees. Maybe one reason why some people did not like it too much is because it was too light for them and not relevant enough. It takes place in a part of the world, in which they could make films about more serious topics. Or I should say more serious films because, obviously, drugs are indeed a serious subject. We have two men in here who are involved in drug trafficking, but their priceless freight gets lost when two boys end up finding the donkey that carries it. Okay, not too realistic maybe, just like the whole Adele song elaboration, but this part was genuinely funny. And it also shows how they included several references about the Western world here, which should not be too surprising as the filmmaker is French of course. Another one would be the talk about Messi and Mahrez early on that I already mentioned and it involved a pretty hilarious peeing reference. There is some drama at the end when the older of the two boys wants to show some dubious guys (criminals) what they found, but the smaller boy had taken it away at that point already, but the worst that happens is that the older boy is pushed against a wall and gets a threat. Nothing too serious really. The film is supposed to stay light from beginning to end. Another big comedic highlight is really the fun reference at the end that the younger boy used all the drugs in order to make a football field, draw the lines etc., so they have more fun playing. Really very entertaining and it shows in a really smart manner the innocent mind of a child clashing with the harsh reality around him. The slightly older boy knew exactly what they were dealing with and was part of this harsh reality. The kids did a good job. So did everybody else, most of all Piat of course. I think maybe the Oscar win would have been slightly too much, but I also would not have been too sad had it really taken home the prize. Certainly worth seeing and no hesitation for me in giving this film a thumbs-up. I am glad I got watch it last night before the Academy Awards.

almost, fascinating

[Kirpianuscus · 16 December 2019]

A special film for the inspired mix of drama and comedy. For the clash of the interest of older brother and the pragmatic use of the younger for the next need. For the donkey and its headphones. For the confusion between Hadel and Adele. And for the lovely image of the little boy moving the bags . Short, just lovely short movie. About a mistake and a footbal ground. An unique one, off course.

Brilliant

[Marwan-Bob · 9/10 · 14 January 2020]

Nominated for the "Live Action Short Film" Category at the Oscars this year, Well Written Well Acted, i Highly recommend it.

Fave from Manhattan Short this year

[libertyandunion-792-720520 · 9/10 · 29 September 2019]

This won my vote as the best film at Manhattan Short this year. It's difficult to blend comedy and drama well, but this delightful experience is a true gem.

Simple and good!

[andrebatucadabsb · 10/10 · 27 January 2020]

Innocence vs. greed. Great idea and very well done. Congratulations to all envolved!

A good time

[plasmasphinx · 9/10 · 5 February 2020]

This is a great, deservedly Oscar-nominated short. It does a great job of blending humor and drama, examining social issues while having fun. I'd love to see what the film-makers could do with a feature-length film.

Amusing mix-ups

[chong_an · 9/10 · 9 February 2020]

A Tunisian teen and his younger brother are on the road home. When the younger makes a pit stop across the border in Algeria, he finds a lost donkey listening to music. The older realizes what the donkey is carrying, and convinces the younger to help steal the laundry powder.

This is an amusing story of 2 mix-ups, of not telling your partner-in-crime the full story of what you are doing, and the unanticipated outcomes. The only quibble I have is I didn't see why the boys happen to have a cart attached to their moped, conveniently allowing them to nab the goods.