Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes this year, Atlantics (2019; Atlantique) has been released by Netflix to stream. The directorial debut of Mati Diop, the film is set in Dakar, Senegal, and observes the coastal terrain where a looming hotel is under construction in the distance. Initially the style of the film is docu-drama, following Souleiman (Ibrahima Traore), the unofficial leader of construction workers upset about not being paid for three months. We also meet Ada (Mame Bineta Sane) who is set to marry someone else, the wealthier Omar (Babacar Sylla) to the delight of her parents – however, she is in love with Souleiman. Their secret relationship is dealt a blow when Souleiman and all the boys take off to Europe in a boat, hoping for a better future. With the focus now firmly on the heartbroken Ada, Atlantics starts to turn into something else, eerie and strange, shifting genres while remaining true to its overall tone, which is mysterious, political and ultimately romantic. Continous shots of the sea, elegantly scored by Fatima Al Qadiri, function like the planet in Solaris, a space of reflection and a source of emotion. I was really engaged by Atlantics and was carried along by its melancholic, unusual, critical, and hopeful currents. Recommended.
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