Review: "Teza" Offers a Breathtaking View of Ethiopia

Action. Romance. History. Humor. "Teza" has it all. 

"I try to marry cinema with my culture," explained Ethiopian-born Haile Gerima, a professor of film at Howard University, who spent 15 years preparing "Teza." His 11 films also include the critically acclaimed "Sankofa." 

"Teza" is narrated in Amharic, one of the key languages of Ethiopia, with subtitles in German and English. The story is told through the eyes of a man named Anberber, played by Aaron Arefe. Anberber is a passionate young man who grew up in Ethiopia, but left to study medicine in Germany during the repressive regime of Ethiopian dictator Haile Mariam Mengistu.

While in Germany, Anberber grows as an intellectual, finds and loses love, and builds life long friendships. Yet, in the end, he remains loyal to his country and returns to his homeland in hope of curing the sick and making a difference in Ethiopia. 

However, when he returns he is greeted by violence, death, poverty, illness and the reality check that while he was away, time did not stop. Instead, things worsened in Ethiopia, and, with Mengistu in power, Anberber is helpless.

Throughout the film, Anberber goes through an internal battle as he struggles to find himself and his place in the world. The story is largely told through flashbacks from the 1970s '80s and '90s.

Filming "Teza" in Ethiopia and casting actors from the East African country made the film seem that much more realistic. Several scenes are simply breathtaking. As the fiery sun falls gently behind a quiet Ethiopian lake, it paints a beautiful reflection in the water of soft reds, vibrant oranges and golden yellows. A soft raspy voice sings an ancient proverb over drumbeats.

"At first, the subtitles were a little intimidating," said James Malon, a student at American University. "But by the end of the film, I completely forgot that I was reading because the movie was so good." The U.S. tour includes stops in April at the Columbia City Cinema in Seattle and the Lincoln Plaza Cinema in New York City.

"Teza" has won numerous awards. At the 65th Venice Film Festival, "Teza" was awarded the Special Jury Prize and the OSELLA for best screenplay. It also won the 2008 Cinema for UNICEF Award. 

At the 2008 Arab-African film festival of Carthage, Tunisia, the film swept away five awards, including the Tanit d'Or for the best film. It received the Golden Unicorn for the best feature film at the Amiens International Film Festival in France and won prizes at the 2008 Dubai International Film Festival and 2009 Rotterdam International Film Festival. "Teza" was also first out of 128 films at the 21st Pan-African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

"Teza" is a must see. People of all ages and backgrounds will walk away with something different from the film. But one thing is for sure, most will walk away feeling as though they got their money's worth.