THE LAST TEARS OF THE DECEASED

Abba Samuel, a young freshly-ordained Ethiopian orthodox priest, investigates his own death - which supposedly took place in 1980 - and his resurrection. He embarks on a journey through his country’s beliefs and contradictions, tracking down his past and the mystery of mortality. 

Constantly questioning the way faith manifests itself in the Ethiopian orthodox Church, Beza Hallu Lemma’s The Last Tears of the Deceased tells the story of a priest’s resurrection as he grapples with doubts about his own faith. Through religions, miracles, and curses, the filmmaker crafts a tight investigation, infused with dreamlike realism. His profound and complex consideration of Ethiopia (the weight of traditions, aspirations to modernity, desertification of villages, and the climate) reflects his unrelenting thirst for authentic African stories. Starting from a story that draws on classic conventions and a sensitive mise-en-scène, the director made a name for himself in East-African cinema.