Atlantics

Nobody told me this was that good. Ok, a lot of people said it was good, but not THAT good.

Some pacing issues on the first act and could have been even more critical of the ones responsible for these situations, but the message is all there. At the same time, a beautiful love story in a very beautiful movie, very well shot (magnificent cinematography) and with great acting from all the actors. I really liked the atmosphere and the very African feeling in terms of traditions and beliefs.

If, like me, you enjoy the likes of José Saramago, Isabel Allende, and Gabriel García Márquez you are going to instantly LOVE this film. But even if you're not a fan of the genre, it will only take a tiny step of surrender to the mesmerizing sound of the ocean (almost constantly in the background, when not in the foreground of the story) for you to be completely transported.

The core components of the story are universal; primordial even: young love, separation, injustice and punishment.

This is just as much a love story as it is a story about standing one's ground and restoring moral justice. It's just as much deeply personal as it is social. For Ada, the protagonist, a young woman separated from her first love and forced into an arranged marriage, it's a matter of coming-of-age and finding her voice. For the community, it's a matter of being faced with the consequences of social injustice and a rotten system.

Both visually and in terms of storytelling, the balance between realism and the magical/supernatural element is perfect. So is the balance between the macroscopic (the vast ocean, the expansive urban landscape dominated by a giant ominous tower, the community at large) and the microscopic (the small objects that play a central role in the story - a locket, a phone, a pair of handcuffs - and the inner struggles of the protagonists - Ada, Souleiman, the detective).

The result is poetic and haunting and cathartic in the end.

Set against the contrasts of modern Dakar, both poverty and progress, Atlantics is an endearing love story and a challenging ghost tale. It speaks of love's enduring allure and the cost of true love with the modern world's disdain for simplicity and virtue.

Ada (Mame Bineta Sane) loves Souleiman (Traore), a construction worker who hasn't been paid in three months. They are beautiful people worthy of Romeo and Juliet and just as star-crossed. Ada is doomed to marry the rich Omar (Babacar Sylla), a situation envied by almost everyone but Ada, for whom the rich life with a man she doesn't love holds no allure.

So far so good because she'll marry Omar while Souleiman is lost at sea going to Spain, where he hoped for wages. That's about the most sense in the film because the strange reappearance of Souleiman later in the film will challenge your sense of logic while he appears with others as ghosts, who are probably responsible for the fires set at Ada's new home.

Director Mati Diop, with a gift for weaving the real with the magical, takes a leisurely cinematic stroll through the tragedy, keeping the dialogue simple enough to read at the bottom of the screen while the lovers are talking or loving. The images of Muejiza Tower help to emphasize the theme of change and empowerment.

The investigation of the fires and strange appearances gets mixed leading to slight confusion of identities. Yet, that's the point: the loss of true love can upend any life, and the confusion of friends and family about a marriage can contribute to the tragedy that may ensue.

Meanwhile multiple, maybe too many, images of the rolling surf and setting sun can crowd the screen with too much imagery and not enough insightful dialogue. Atlantics is a lyrical film with classic ideas about love and change, simple and strong while it stays in reality. The magical doesn't work that well when so much crushing reality dominates this parched but progressive landscape.

A calm, contemplative, unpredictable, immersive & quietly hypnotising love story perforated with supernatural elements yet firmly rooted in Senegal's social reality, Mati Diop's debut feature is a silent meditation on love, loss, migration, mortality & ghostly interventions that expertly balances the real with the spectral to deliver a cinematic experience that's as ethereal as it is enigmatic.

Winner of the Grand Prix at last year's Cannes Film Festival, Atlantics presents its debutant director employing a methodical approach to realise her deftly layered script on screen and her execution is neat & sophisticated. Also, her serene touch adds a soothing quality to the images, while unhurried pace provides the viewers ample time to acquaint themselves with its world & characters.

However, despite the intriguing premise & interesting social commentary, Atlantics is unable to make us invest in the romance that unfolds at its centre. It's supposed to be the main plot yet feels secondary to other things at play, and the characters aren't as compelling as the world they live in. Nevertheless, for a debut effort, it is a polished piece of subdued storytelling that starts Mati Diop's directorial journey on a promising note.

An enigmatic film that unfolds like a satisfying ghost story.

Set in Dakar, Senegal, the film's main female protagonist is Ada, in love with Suleiman but promised in an arranged marriage to the wealthy Omar. Suleiman goes missing with a bunch of other men who set sail across the Atlantic for Spain and better opportunities, and the film is largely about the women they leave behind to think about them and possibly mourn for them. But the ghost story part comes in when mysterious occurrences suggest that the spirits of the men may be possessing various townspeople and carrying out the men's wishes in their physical absence.

Like many films I've seen this year, a theme in "Atlantics" is the disparity between the haves and the have nots. Omar promises Ada a life of sterile comfort, but Suleiman offers love and affection, if economic hardship. It's also a window into the world of those we hear about in the news but rarely see as people, those who emigrate to other places in an attempt to find something better. And it's also about the few choices available to women living in certain parts of the world. But none of this is communicated to us through preaching or lecturing. The movie is more than anything an ethereal love story.

Grade: A-