In the most astonishing scene in Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu, we see Kidane (Ibrahim Ahmed) accidentally kill the fisherman Amadou, who in an earlier scene speared Kidane’s most precious cow. The aftermath of the killing is shown in the widest shot possible, as we see the shocked Kidane clumsily make his way across a river as Amadou falls behind. It’s one of the most stunning shots of any recent film, not only for its technical precision, but for its effortlessness in encompassing the film’s overall theme: the world’s undeniable indifference to human suffering.

Set during the occupation of Timbuktu by Islamic group Ansar Dine, the film captures the contrast between the militants’ repressive laws and the locals’ need to just live their lives. Sissako makes accurate observations of how faith if often confused for reactionism, as he points out during one scene in which the soldiers walk into a temple searching for someone, leading an elder to remind them that “one can not enter the house of god with shoes and weapons”. It seems, as if the militants get pleasure out of making people’s lives miserable as they go around looking for flaws, thirsty with the need to punish others.

When they take Kidane to trial for murder, the inconsistencies just add up. “Knowing that his daughter will soon be an orphan really upsets me” explains the de facto judge to one of his guards, making us wonder if he is aware that his following Islamic law was what originally led to the death in question. Stunningly photographed by Sofian El Fani (of Blue is the Warmest Color), Timbuktu is a beautiful film about the unkindness of humans. Wider in scope (both topic-wise and visually) than it would appear at first, the film is an exemplary entry into the docudrama category, as Sissako extracts naturalistic performances from all of his actors, perhaps showing us a tender mercy as we leave the theater, for he allows us to sigh with relief at knowing that none of what we just saw actually occurred. His invitation for us to become more aware and involved with the world around us both an eye opener and another reminder of how we continue sinning through indifference.