438 Days

A tense, sobering true-story drama that traps you in a Kafkaesque fight for survival and keeps you engaged through sheer injustice.

Directed by

Jesper Ganslandt

Genres

Drama, Thriller, History

Starring

Gustaf Skarsgård, Matias Varela, Faysal Ahmed

Overview

On the eve of June 28th, 2011 Swedish journalists Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson put everything at stake by illegally crossing the border from Somalia into Ethiopia. After months of research, planning and failed attempts, they were finally on their way to report on how the ruthless hunt for oil effected the population of the isolated and conflict-ridden Ogaden region. Five days later they lay wounded in the desert sand, shot and captured by the Ethiopian army. But when their initial reportage died, another story began. A story about lawlessness, propaganda and global politics. After a Kafkaesque trial they were sentenced to eleven years in prison for terrorism. And they were far from alone. Their cellmates were journalists, writers and politicians persecuted for not bowing down to dictatorship. Their reportage about oil was transformed into a story about ink, and their daily lives turned into a fight for survival inside the notorious Kality prison in Addis Ababa.

How it feels

Tense, dark, earnest and bleak. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Survival, justice, politics, isolation

Content

Strong violence. Mild gore and language. No sexual content.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)