Our Lady of the Nile is a 2019 drama film directed by Atiq Rahimi and based on the novel of the same name by Scholastique Mukasonga. The film is set in Rwanda in 1973, during the period leading up to the country's genocide.
The main setting of the film is the prestigious Catholic institute, Notre-Dame du Nil, where young Rwandan girls are studying to become the elite of the country. The school is located on a hill and is almost entirely populated by Tutsi students, who are in the minority in Rwanda.
The girls share the same dormitory, where they bond over their shared experiences as teenage girls with dreams and problems. However, tensions are high both within the school and outside of it. The Hutu majority in Rwanda is seeking to assert their dominance over the Tutsi minority, and the girls find themselves caught in the middle.
As the story unfolds, the girls navigate a complex web of pressures and prejudices. They struggle to maintain their friendships as ethnic tensions boil over and threats of violence become more and more common. Along the way, they also confront issues of class, gender, and sexuality.
Ultimately, the film explores the role of education in a society on the brink of collapse. The girls of Notre-Dame du Nil are poised to become Rwanda's future leaders, but can they rise to the challenge and help prevent the tragedies that are to come? Or will they succumb to the forces of hatred and violence that are tearing their country apart?
