You Will Die at Twenty

You Will Die at Twenty is a Sudanese film, directed by Amjad Abu Alala. It's Sudan's first Academy Award entry and has received many other recognitions since its release. The cinematography is beautiful, the sound design is compelling, and the storyline is captivating. A lot of lines and phrases are repeated a few times throughout the movie too, which is a nice bonus for language learning.

In the film begins with the main character, Muzamil's naming ceremony. During the ceremony, one of the performers falls at the number twenty, signifying Muzamil’s early death. Muzamil’s whole childhood centers around this belief which affects everything from the schooling he receives to his devotion to memorizing the Quran. His mother, Sakina, even wears black throughout his lifetime, in preparation for his eventual funeral. However, Muzamil’s worldview is interrupted when he meets Sulaiman, an old friend of his father’s, and an alcoholic with stories of life from around the world. Muzamil struggles with how to accept Sulaiman’s outlook and how to proceed with his young crush, Naima.

You Will Die at Twenty is available on various streaming platforms in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. If you live in the United States, you can watch the film on Amazon by clicking on the red text below.

Content warning: there is a rape scene towards the end of the movie 

Vocabulary / مفردات

2:30
انا عاشقك (عشق)
I love you

6:20
ستموت في العشرين
You will die at twenty

7:14
قروش
Money (coins)

7:30
ما بقدر
I can’t

13:10
دار أبوي
I want my father

14:10
دفتر
Tab or notebook

16:55
دكان
Store

17:45
عيب
Taboo/immoral

20:12
قوم
Get up

24:41
عايش/ة
Alive

25:05
كويس
Good; cool

26:30
مشغول/ة
Busy

34:10
فليكون
So be it

35:30
من زمان
A long time ago

35:34
احفظ على
To memorize

47:42
الحساب
The bill/accounting
Translated in the film to “math”

56:58
غبي/ة
Stupid

1:02:00
عادى
A habit; normal

1:04:36
عريس
Groom
Translated in the film to “husband”

1:05:35
حمار/ة
An idiot
Literal translation: a donkey

1:08:07
قبر
Grave

1:11:22
حبر
Ink

1:12:08
مناسبة
Event
Translated in the film to “celebration”

1:17:45
كلو منك
It’s all your fault
Literal translation: it’s all from you
This phrase doesn’t necessarily have a negative connotation. It means all these things (good or bad) happened because of you.

1:27:08
دراويش
Dervishes

1:30:26
قنعني (قنع)
He convinced me

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