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.

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.

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.

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.