Of the many striking sequences in Abderrahmane Sissako’s film, one in particular stands out for its simple eloquence. It is all but silent – a wide landscape that contains only two figures, nomadic herdsmen – yet what unfolds there is both unexpected and horribly logical, raising a mundane occurrence to mythical proportions. Timbuktu is both understated and impressive.Sissako was born in Mauritania but spent much of his childhood in Mali. His subject here is the jihadist takeover of the north of Mali and the effect on the townspeople of Timbuktu as well as nomadic families on the edge of the desert. There’s no formal introduction of any themes; he shows instead how everyday activities – tending cattle, selling fish in the market and so on – draw the att