MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Small Country: An African Childhood

Small Country: An African Childhood

2020 · 112 min

A sunlit childhood slowly shadowed by distant violence, leaving a quiet ache of lost innocence.

Directed by
Eric Barbier
Genres
Drama
Starring
Jean-Paul Rouve, Isabelle Kabano, Djibril Vancoppenolle
Tagline
When The Innocence Of Childhood Faces History
Overview
Gabriel, aged 10, lives in a comfortable ex-pat neighborhood in Burundi, his ‘small country’. Gabriel is a normal kid, happy, carefree and having adventures with his friends and little sister. Then in 1993, tensions in neighboring Rwanda spill over, threatening his family and his innocence.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: Small Country: An African Childhood

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

Free in the UK
  • YouTube Free
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Eric Barbier
Genres
Drama
Starring
Jean-Paul Rouve, Isabelle Kabano, Djibril Vancoppenolle
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • coming-of-age
  • family
  • identity
  • war
  • trauma
Places
  • small town
  • home
Era
period
Audience
teen
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror1
Humour3
Realism8
Romance1
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like Small Country: An African Childhood

Movie

A Bag of Marbles

2017

A tense but warm-hearted wartime journey that keeps you rooting for two brave brothers as they navigate danger and separation.

Melancholic, tense · about coming-of-age and family · true story

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • coming-of-age
  • family
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
113 min
Details
A Bag of MarblesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

El Bola

2000

A quietly harrowing but ultimately hopeful look at childhood trauma, anchored by naturalistic performances and a compassionate eye.

Melancholic, tense · about coming-of-age and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • coming-of-age
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
88 min
Details
El BolaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

We the Animals

2018

A lyrical, sensory immersion into a boy's inner world, blending tender moments with undercurrents of volatility and quiet longing.

Melancholic, tense · about coming-of-age and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • coming-of-age
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
93 min
Details
We the AnimalsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Queens

2024

A tender, bittersweet immersion into a family's fragile reconnection amid political unrest, balancing warmth and melancholy.

Melancholic, warm · about coming-of-age and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • coming-of-age
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
104 min
Details
QueensHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Mickey and the Bear

2019

A raw, quietly devastating portrait of a teenager carrying too much, with moments of tenderness amid volatility.

Melancholic, tense · about coming-of-age and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • coming-of-age
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
Mickey and the BearHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A Summer at Grandpa's

1984

A gentle, unhurried summer of childhood memories, sunlit and quietly bittersweet.

Melancholic, warm · about coming-of-age and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • coming-of-age
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
93 min
Details
A Summer at Grandpa'sHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Schoolgirls

2020

A quiet, observant coming-of-age story that feels like a gentle, bittersweet memory of adolescence.

Melancholic, warm · about coming-of-age and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • coming-of-age
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
97 min
Details
SchoolgirlsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Beasts of No Nation

2015

A harrowing, immersive plunge into a child's loss of innocence that leaves you shaken and drained long after it ends.

Melancholic, tense · about coming-of-age and war · true story

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • coming-of-age
  • war
  • true story
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
137 min
Details
Beasts of No NationHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

20,000 Species of Bees

2023

A tender, quietly observant summer portrait that immerses you in a child's search for self amid family love and unspoken tensions.

Melancholic, warm · about coming-of-age and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • coming-of-age
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
127 min
Details
20,000 Species of BeesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Tótem

2023

A tender, immersive day-in-the-life that quietly accumulates heartbreak through a child's eyes, warm and alive yet shadowed by impending loss.

Melancholic, warm · about coming-of-age and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • coming-of-age
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
95 min
Details
TótemHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Forbidden Games

1952

A quietly devastating look at childhood innocence colliding with war, told with tender observation and a lingering ache.

Melancholic · about family and war

Via
  • melancholic
  • family
  • war
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
87 min
Details
Forbidden GamesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Innocent Voices

2005

A harrowing, heartfelt look at childhood under fire, balancing tender moments with the constant dread of violence and loss.

Melancholic, tense · about coming-of-age and family · true story

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • coming-of-age
  • family
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
120 min
Details
Innocent VoicesHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • YouTube Free
Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Eric Barbier
Written by
Eric Barbier
Starring
Jean-Paul Rouve, Isabelle Kabano, Djibril Vancoppenolle, Delya de Medina, Veronika Varga, Tao Monladja, Ruben Ruhanamilindi, Brian Gakwavu
Music
Renaud Barbier
Cinematography
Antoine Sanier
Runtime
112 min
Country
France, Belgium
Languages
French

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.