On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

Play trailer

2:04

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

PG-13

Released Mar 7

1h 35m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

100 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family, in filmmaker Rungano Nyoni's surreal and vibrant reckoning with the lies we tell ourselves.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

A vibrant exploration of family and social mores, On Becoming a Guineau Fowl marks another superb effort from writer-director Rungano Nyoni.

Read Critics Reviews

Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is a reckoning, and Nyoni proves to be a force as a filmmaker.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 12, 2025

Full Review

Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (LAist)

It feels so specific and also universal, which are my favorite kinds of movies.

May 9, 2025

Full Review

Dwight Brown

DwightBrownInk.com

Gets more thoughtful and empowering by the minute. A modern fable. A fable that’s a treasure.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 20, 2025

Full Review

Stephanie Malone

Morbidly Beautiful

Best experienced with minimal context, this hauntingly beautiful film unravels the chilling cost of silence, the weight of tradition, and the ways women are too often blamed to protect the men who hurt them. Go in cold. Come out changed.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 28, 2025

Full Review

Clotilde Chinnici

Movies We Texted About

Overall, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is a well-made film that touches on an important, yet not often spoken about, topic with a gentle and human feeling to it.

Jul 26, 2025

Full Review

Cody Allen

Geek Vibes Nation

The horror here is not the violence itself—it is the indifference to that violence, the way it is normalized, concealed, and perpetuated by the very people who should be standing against it.

Rated: 9/10

Jul 18, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

Roman

Damn, ow, fantastic but ooooowwwww.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/25

Full Review

Christy L

Compelling story about death and cultural rituals in an entirely different setting.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/27/25

Full Review

Roy J

The sexual assault plot is hard-hitting, but I also found the Zambia culture depicted in the movie to be very compelling. Glad A24 distributed this African movie in the US.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/11/25

Full Review

Alexandra F

Absolutely breathtaking; flawless from the first to the last frame. This is talent on such an understated scale, I was and am in awe of Nyoni. OB a GF is so particular and authentic; it’ll ring true universally. I’ll watch anything she makes!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/25/25

Full Review

David A

I think it's unfair to not warn the audience what this is about. The entire movie is all about sexual abuse, specifically, the raping of minors. Within a family, and then blaming the women for allowing it to happen. A truly unpleasant, upsetting, disturbing, viewing experience. So, if you must see it, brace yourself for all that. 🙂

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/22/25

Full Review

alan g

Small art film critics liked because it is a black film. Slow intense but ultimately unsatisfying.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Rungano Nyoni

Director

Susan Chardy

Shula

Roy Chisha

Uncle Fred

Blessings Bhamjee

Young Shula

Chungu Bwalya

Farm Club Presenter #1

Maggie Mulubwa

Farm Club Presenter #2

Knives Out

97%

92%

Knives Out

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Knives Out

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

92%

92%

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

The Penguin Lessons

77%

95%

The Penguin Lessons

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Penguin Lessons

The Old Man & the Gun

93%

66%

The Old Man & the Gun

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Old Man & the Gun

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

99%

94%

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl: Trailer 1

2:04

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family, in filmmaker Rungano Nyoni's surreal and vibrant reckoning with the lies we tell ourselves.

Director: Rungano Nyoni
Producer: Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Tim Cole
Screenwriter: Rungano Nyoni
Distributor: A24
Production Co: A24, BBC Film, Element Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Sexual Abuse|Suggestive References|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 7, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 8, 2025
Runtime: 1h 35m

Most Popular at Home Now