Atlantics (2019)
Stars: Abdou Balde, Aminata Kane, Ibrahima Mbaye
Runtime: 106 minutes
Synopsis: In a popular suburb of Dakar, workers on the construction site of a futuristic tower, without pay for months, decide to leave the country by the ocean for a better future. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada, promised to another.
Performances: 6/10
Screenplay: 5/10
Editing: 5/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10
Verdict: The winner of this year's Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival, which is now available to stream on Netflix, was definitely not bad, but rather a little underwhelming.
"Atlantics", directed by Mati Diop and starring Aminata Kane, takes place in Senegal and follows Ada, a young woman forced to leave behind her lover to marry a wealthy man. On paper, the movie sounds like a socio-political commentary about the livelihood and social pressure faced by women in Africa, and in a weird way, it kind of is, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the film only was the shadow of what it could've been. The first half lacked the depth and emotion needed to tackle a heavy subject such as this one, and the second half went places that did not work at all for me and that I'm having a very difficult time understanding. I don't want to spoil anything but I strongly felt that the film did not have a specific identity and didn't exactly know what it wanted to be, which is a shame considering the fact that somewhere within it, a very decent and very important film is buried. On a technical level, the film was overall well shot but at times did feel a little amateurish and low-budgeted. The score was okay but somewhat familiar and some scenes went on for far too long.
I honestly don't know what to make of "Atlantics". I can see myself enjoying it more on a second watch when I know exactly what to expect from it, but truth be told, I don't really see myself rewatching it any time soon.
"Atlantics", directed by Mati Diop and starring Aminata Kane, takes place in Senegal and follows Ada, a young woman forced to leave behind her lover to marry a wealthy man. On paper, the movie sounds like a socio-political commentary about the livelihood and social pressure faced by women in Africa, and in a weird way, it kind of is, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the film only was the shadow of what it could've been. The first half lacked the depth and emotion needed to tackle a heavy subject such as this one, and the second half went places that did not work at all for me and that I'm having a very difficult time understanding. I don't want to spoil anything but I strongly felt that the film did not have a specific identity and didn't exactly know what it wanted to be, which is a shame considering the fact that somewhere within it, a very decent and very important film is buried. On a technical level, the film was overall well shot but at times did feel a little amateurish and low-budgeted. The score was okay but somewhat familiar and some scenes went on for far too long.
I honestly don't know what to make of "Atlantics". I can see myself enjoying it more on a second watch when I know exactly what to expect from it, but truth be told, I don't really see myself rewatching it any time soon.
FINAL GRADE: 5/10
Comments
Post a Comment