andrewroy-04316 Review of Atlantics

Atlantics (2019)

Diop's craft and ideas are good, but plot doesn't quite fit together

[6/10 · 6 January 2020]

It's evident from the opening sequence that Atlantics is a film with plenty of talent, in the forms of good cinematography and acting. It's very slow moving, and you don't even realize what movie you're watching until you see some shocking visuals midway through. I thought the slow burn was effective early in building a sense of atmosphere - the oppression of choice faced by Ada and Suleimon. As the story morphs into a ghost story, the slow burn only serves to amplify the lack of connection between events. Diop is clearly more concerned with telling an allegorical character story than a pure fantasy, but the message is muddled by the mystery surrounding what's really going on with the ghosts. Why are the dead men controlling the women plus the detective at night? Why do they want the money - because they deserve to be paid, even if they're dead? The tragic love between Ada and Suleimon was well portrayed, but due to the extreme confusion about what's real and what the goals of the dead men are, it's challenging to take away much from the film.