The past weekend we watched the Ethiopian-American movie 13 Months of Sunshine.
It tells the story of a marriage between an Ethiopian woman who wants a green card to stay legally in the US and an Ethiopian-American man who needs money to start a coffee shop.
They agree to marry for a price and the movie deals with the legal problems, the clash of cultures and generations, the longing for the country left behind, and the unexpected feelings that emerge between the couple. The story is not very original and reminded me a lot of the Latin “telenovelas” (TV soap operas) but this time with an Ethiopian flavor. But the movie is not bad, it is easy to watch, and it might be the first movie about Ethiopians living in the US, so you can see a glimpse of their lives in America.
It’s also a big effort from first time director Yehdego Abeselom, who decided to write a story close to his culture.
He was born and raised in Ethiopia but moved to the the US when he was 18 years old. Here he studied business management first and then filmmaking in California. He worked for HBO films, NBC Productions, and Sony Pictures Television and directed several short films.
I recommend watching this movie, specially if you are learning Amharic, since the movie has great part of its dialog in the official language of Ethiopia. You will find everyday talk between the characters and some cultural background too.
The movie is easy to get since you can buy it now from Amazon.
Here is the trailer:
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