| Release Date | Feb 12, 2010 |
| Rating | Not Rated |
| Summary | A Film about Tolerance, Conflict and Friendship between Cultures
Araouane, a settlement in the middle of the Sahara, seven days by camel from Timbuktu…. In 1989, the once prosperous oasis was disappearing under encroaching dunes, when the noted Swiss/American artist Ernst Aebi passed through on a caravan. The population’s destitution leaves a deep impression on him. Trying to help them becomes an obsession for Aebi because attempting the impossible satisfies his quest for adventure. Aebi, one of the pioneers in the transformation of New York’s SoHo factory spaces to lofts, stays for three years in the desert and becomes so engrossed in the project that he is willing to bury his capital there. Under his guidance, the village awakens to a new life: a productive vegetable garden, a school, and even a small hotel rise from the barren sands. A civil war in Mali forces Aebi in the early nineties to escape “his” village. He leaves behind a blooming oasis and a family of friends who await his return. Except for a few earlier unsuccessful attempts, almost twenty years pass until Aebi is finally able to get back. On a journey between hope and doubt. BAREFOOT TO TIMBUKTU cleverly weaves archival and new material into a fascinating portrait of an out-of-the-ordinary Swiss/American swashbuckler. --© Official Site |
| The Good | The Bad |
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 Who knows how many people know who Aebi is or about his selfless efforts, but it's inspiring to watch and Martina Egl has done a good job finding an inventively artistic way of telling his story.
Feb 09, 2010
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 Sometimes all a leisurely, low-impact doc needs is a winning personality to make it work--though that can only take it so far.
Feb 10, 2010
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There's some mildly interesting ethnographic footage here, and Aebi is an engagingly blustery presence.
Feb 10, 2010
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Manages the neat trick, intentional or not, of shaping no point of view whatsoever, leaving us to choose along a spectrum that, based on the evidence here, could run from charismatic Renaissance man to tyrannical narcissist.
Feb 12, 2010
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The result is an interesting but lackluster film better left to the small screen.
Feb 13, 2010
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Has moments of interest but mostly feels like an egomaniac's declaration of principles.
Feb 13, 2010
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| Genres | Documentary, Education, General Interest |
| Stars | Ernst Aebi |
| Director | Martina Egi |
| Writers | Martina Egi, Beat Hirt |
| Studio | Meschugge Films |
| Review Count | 7 |
| Positive | 1 |
| Negative | 6 |
| Recent | 0 |
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Title | Reviews | |
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The Last Exorcism | 0% | (0/0) |
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The Expendables | 16% | (1/6) |
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Eat Pray Love | 0% | (0/0) |
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The Other Guys | 50% | (17/34) |