Direction: Mati Diop
Country: Senegal / France / Belgium
Set in a suburban coastal town of Dakar, Senegal, Atlantics is a downhearted love story turned into revenge ghost tale. Starring a fine cast of newcomers led by Name Bineta Sane, Ibrahim Traore and Amadou Mbow, the film marks the directorial debut of French-Senegalese actress Mati Diop (35 Shots of Rum; Simon Killer), who co-wrote the script with Olivier Demangel.
Souleiman (Traore) is an indebted young man who works long hours in construction. It’s been three months since he doesn’t get a paycheck. Desperate, Souleiman and his friends get into a small boat with the risky mission to cross the Atlantic Ocean and reach Spain. He does this in secrecy, without saying anything to his better half, Ada (Sane), who, despite madly in love with him, has an arranged wedding with the wealthy Omar (Babacar Sylla) scheduled within a few days. With no news from Souleiman, Ada is found impassive and disconsolate at her wedding party, a celebration marked by an inexplicable bizarre occurrence. The investigation of the mystery is entrusted to the rising young police inspector Issa Diop (Mbow), whose tenacity is disturbed by what looks like a virus.
With tranquil assertiveness, Ms. Diop sets a haunting, feverish atmosphere to immerse us in a story of life and death. The simplistic yet powerful plot emphasizes work exploitation and greediness, tragic relationships, immigration, cultural and religious traditions, and brings a very particular vision about things left unresolved in this world. Filmed with an astute sense of aesthetic and well acted, Atlantics is never scary in its phantasmagoria, but the message… the message is too strong to ignore.
