Cert 15
111 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence and sex
The name of Chiwetel Ejiofor is suddenly such big box office that Half Of A Yellow Sun begs to be noticed.
Ejiofor was fresh from his Oscar nomination for the remarkable 12 Years A Slave when this movie, reflecting the history of Nigerian politics in the 1960s, was released.
Here, his performance is very good but less eye-catching than his portrayal of Solomon Northup.
Nevertheless, thanks to its shocking storyline and excellent cast, Biyi Bandele's film is both illuminating and heartbreaking.
Half Of A Yellow Sun begins on the night of Nigerian independence and focuses on two high-class young women (Thandie Newton and Anika Noni Rose) who have been educated in Britain.
They have a comfortable life in Lagos but, instead of staying with their parents, Newton's character moves to the east of the country to live with a man known as The Revolutionary (Ejiofor) and Rose's falls in love with a British writer (Joseph Mawle).
The film follows the women through the next tumultuous few years as Nigeria lurches from one political crisis to the next and thousands of people are killed in the process.
It uses real footage of contemporary news reports to explain the chronology of tribal conflict and the disaster in Biafra.
Meanwhile, it delves into infidelities, the thorny relationships of a traditional mother (Onyeka Onwenu) and her much more modern daughter-in-law and also the divide between the wealthy and their servants.
It is all woven skilfully together by Bandele.
Laughs: none
Jumps: one
Vomit: none
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 8/10