A chilling story of family love, jealousy, revenge and deception, set against the tapestry background of Ethiopia’s green countryside and buzzing capital city, and its people’s poverty and wealth. The drama brings together top Ethiopian stars such as Fekadu Teklemariam, the late Mulugetu Balcha, Yonas Getachew and Almaz Haile. Amateurs Zekarias Berehanu and Yodith Fekadu take the starring roles.

The film was directed by Yetagesu Gesiet. Special effects animations are by John Mastrogiacomo from the US. The story was written by Emebet Girma, who has a passion for writing and has previously published poems. This film was financed by Zena Belete and Emebet Girma, both now based in Las Vegas. Production manager in his debut film is Emebet's brother, Abiy Girma, based in Addis Abeba

Roman is a classic example of poor Ethiopian film. Bad production, poor directing, amateurish acting, …all tolerable given the lack of experience and resources in the country. BUT poor script and story, that is just too much!!! I sincerely believe that there are lots of writers in the country, who would do a much better job for a very reasonable price.

The failure of the story begins from its being too common. It reminds me of tales we used to hear when we were kids. Andit lig neberech enatina abatwa motew, habtam sew asadg’wat kezam yehabtamu sewye zemedoch demo kentew ligelwat minamim minamin …

The film also suffers from uncalled for coincidences. A rich neighbor, who has lost his children, accidentally happens to come to Roman’s house when her mother was murdered by her stepfather. The rich fellow makes her his only heir and the stepfather after serving ten years in prison, not only happened to be a hit man to kill her rich guardian but also the uncle of her new boyfriend. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES!??!

To top this coincident, the boyfriend has similar story - his family were murdered but fortunately brought up by a rich woman who inherits him a fortune. AND guess what? His family was apparently killed in vendetta in a small village of Bulga by Roman’s biological father whom she never met. And conveniently from millions of woman in Addis he falls in love with her.

In another coincidence, Roman a TV documentary director had an assignment to do make a film on an old monastery where the main priest happened to be her real father. She discovered this after she accidentally found a letter and a picture at her friend’s house written by her guardian whom for no good reason chose to hide the information from his beloved Roman. When the programme was aired, her boyfriend’s uncle saw the priest and told him that he was the killer of his dad. The boyfriend, being a contemporary young man, one would expect him to go to police, right!?! But nooo he went with a gun and shot the old man. It goes on and on, coincidence after coincidence!!!

The ending is also something worth talking about, the most tragedy story ever written in the history of movie making suddenly flips 360 to a happy-lived-ever-after ending.

I appriciate your comment. its cruel but enlightning. Hope the concer4ned will take it as a means for improvment. we need such critique not false praize which doesn't hit home or heart. I wish I get such a bold critique for my screenplay.

its based on the novel FIKER BEZEMENE SHIBIR, 120 min Feature.

I hate it!!!