Atlantique

Atlantics tells a story of young love and unbearable loss against the backdrop of economic inequality and financial desperation that leads young men to risk their lives attempting to cross sea to a better life and the women who are left behind to cope alone. Great performances from the leads and haunting cinematography- an original take on a tragic story.

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.

The cinematography is impressive, which confirms in my mind that Claire Mathon was the cinematographer of the year in 2019, with this, "Atlantics," and, better yet, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire." She knows how to compose an image. Unfortunately, there's not much going on otherwise in this critically-overrated picture, but it does benefit from its numerous empty spaces and transitions being filled by lovely imagery. Lots of shots of the sea, along with wind-swept curtains and open windows, mirrors and neon strobe lights. And the eyes of the possessed women are admittedly haunting. The rest of it, however, is a mess, including a narrative that combines a "Ghosts" (1990) like supernatural romance of necrophilia with the problem of arranged marriage, some lackluster drama or social commentary on workers avenging their employer for not being paid and the risks of economically-displaced migration, and, most miserably, a dull detective story investigating a series of arson cases. All of its connected in the slightest and contrived of ways. The plot is best the longer things remain mysterious; once figured out, it's quite disappointing. But, like the central romance, which largely consists of boy telling girl she's beautiful, "Atlantics" is at least nice to look at.

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.

Maybe a little slow for some however worked well and rewarded my patience. Far from being confused as to what genre it is, it seemed pretty clear to me it's a love / ghost story set in contemporary Dakar, Senegal. There's something of a social commentary / realist element and for me it was interesting opening a window on to the lives of young Senegalese women, as well as the customs of an Islamic marriage in West Africa. There's a nice shot of the girls walking along the beach, dressed up to go to the bar, very much like their contemporaries would in any other major city - they wouldn't look out of place in Manchester say and that connecting felt nice, emphasising how much more we have in common than the differences.

There's repeating shots of a misty sea - the sea in Freudian terms symbolises the mother. The central character, a young woman getting married with the expectations of eventual motherhood. If the sea here is the mother it's also the cause of death - her true love, not the man she'll be marrying, has apparently become one of the many drowned in the mediterranean, making the perilous crossing from Africa to Europe in the hope of a better life. In death is life and so on. This is a movie working more on symbolism and allusion rather than straightforward narrative arc. The sterility of a marriage built upon status and material possessions is contrasted with the vitality of a relationship built upon truth and love - the emptiness of the marriage bed, the sterility of the white room, the bland surroundings of the upscale bar where Omar drinks fruit juice from a straw, child like, perhaps a comment about the infantilising of the supposedly sophisticated.

The director produces something properly cinematic with superb composition, backed up with a marvellous synthesizer score, some very nice moody shots of the city at night. This film works best on mood and atmosphere, attempts at shoe horning it into the conventions of narrative are liable to be frustrated. You need to open yourself up and try to empathise with the character, the lead actress is fantastic in the emotions she conveys through expression and body language. It's a film using the language of cinema as I say, symbolism, allusion. You need to 'feel' this film I think, it will frustrate intellectual analysis and to do so misses the point. It's there to be experienced. It won't be for everyone. Still, I'm delighted to see the torch of the art movie now carried forward by a female Senegalese director and her team who can rightfully take their place in a distinguished canon of Senegalese and indeed African film artists.