A year since its debut at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Goodbye Julia is finally available to stream on Netflix. Directed and produced by Mohamed Kordofani, Goodbye Julia captured international acclaim for its profound storytelling, winning best film at the 8th Critics Awards for Arab films in May.
Set in the city of Khartoum, the drama explores the entrenched bigotry that set the stage for the 2011 referendum, which ultimately led to Sudan’s split. The formation of South Sudan not only created a new nation but also triggered a cascade of political and economic upheaval. The film takes place during the last years of Sudan as a unified country, and centers on its titular character, Julia, a young South Sudanese woman portrayed by Siran Riak. Julia’s life is thrown into chaos when she and her family are evicted by xenophobic neighbors, forcing them to live in a tent. The situation escalates when her South Sudanese husband, Santino, is killed after an encounter with Mona, a northern Sudanese housewife played by Eiman Yousif. The ensuing relationship between Julia and Mona is fraught with tension and complexity, exposing the deep racial fault lines in a once unified country.
The film emphasizes the unsettling and often graphic portrayal of racism experienced by South Sudanese people. Goodbye Julia doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of systemic discrimination, aiming to shed light on the fractured relationships and the societal rifts that have long plagued Sudan.
Goodbye Julia was originally selected as Sudan’s entry for the 96th Academy Awards in the Best International Film category. It debuted on the streaming service on June 30, so if you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, what are you waiting for?
