Atlantics (Atlantique) (2019)
dir. Mati Diop
Rated: N/A
image: ©2019 Netflix
Atlantics is a ghost story that weaves themes like economic inequality and crushing poverty into its romantic drama plot. That may seem overwhelming, but it never is in the hands of writer and director Mati Diop. This is Diop’s feature film directorial debut, and the incredible atmospheric tone of her picture, mixed with the rich subject matter, make Atlantics an indelible storytelling experience. Diop now holds the distinction as the first black woman ever to direct a film included in competition at the Cannes film festival. That’s no doubt a consequence of the festival’s past organizers overlooking many other deserving filmmakers, but Diop is a hell of an artist. Her movie is a great achievement; one that earned this bit of filmmaking history.
The striking thing about Atlantics is how many layers to the onion there are, and how delicately Diop peels back each one. This is the story of Ada, a young Senegalese woman living in the coastal town of Dakar. Ada is in love with Souleiman, a poor construction laborer, but she is engaged (through an arranged marriage) to the wealthy Omar. Meanwhile, the developer building a new luxury tower in Dakar owes Souleiman and his fellow workers three months back pay. When he refuses to pay up, the men leave on a boat one night, hoping to earn money for their families in Spain.
The first twenty minutes of Atlantics had me fooled into thinking that it would be the story of Ada either coming to terms with the life others have planned for her or breaking free of those plans to pursue her heart’s desire. In a way it is that, but so much more. When Souleiman and his compatriots’ boat goes missing, and no one in the men’s families hear from them, strange things start to happen. Someone sets Ada’s marital bed on fire during her wedding reception. Issa, a young detective, is assigned to investigate the arson, and he, too, is soon swept up in the mystery of the missing men.
Diop, along with cinematographer Claire Mathon – whom I praised a few weeks ago for her outstanding work on Portrait of a Lady on Fire – give Atlantics a dream-like quality. Simple – and very beautiful – shots of the sun slowly setting over the vast Atlantic Ocean are repeated throughout the film. These shots serve as reminders of the men who are possibly lost at sea, but they also symbolize the hope for a better life elsewhere that the economically disadvantaged citizens of Dakar dream of.
The soundscape of the ocean serves as a leitmotif for the film as well. The ever-present sounds of the waves are always just at the edges of the frame. Musician Fatima Al Qadiri’s spare, haunting score turns up at key moments in the film, but otherwise it’s that constant rolling surf that lends the whole film a touch of the surreal.
In several sequences, Diop marries the sounds of the ocean with a seemingly unrelated image to add to that immersive, dreamy state. The nightclub where Ada first met Souleiman – and where she returns again and again throughout the film to either wait for Souleiman, or to lament her lost lover – has a laser-light setup installed. The lightshow throws a grid of green dots on the walls and ceiling that constantly dance back and forth as the patrons drink and converse. The sweeping movement of those green dots becomes connected to the ocean when Diop accentuates the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach just outside the nightclub.
Mathon’s photography transforms Dakar into a dirty, dusty brown world. It’s a good metaphor for the desperation that many of the characters feel. Diop and her cowriter on Atlantics, Olivier Demangel, offer up more explicit examples of the sentiment in their screenplay. On her wedding night, Ada’s friends scold her for being in love with a penniless construction worker, when rich businessman Omar can give her every material comfort she could ever want. When Ada reminds her friends that she doesn’t love Omar, one of them betrays her true motivations for taking his side. Who cares if Ada isn’t in love with Omar, she says; he’s out of the country so much on business that they (Ada and her friends) can enjoy his house and money when he’s gone.
Diop adds a mystery element into Atlantics when Issa, the police detective, begins investigating the arson of Ada and Omar’s bed. He’s also tasked with looking into strange events involving a group of women in the city harassing the rich developer who stiffed his workers of their pay. The women always come to the developer after nightfall, demanding that he make good on the money he owes. Issa becomes alarmed when he begins to realize he might be connected in some way to what is happening to these women each night.
In further commentary on economic inequality, Issa’s captain makes it clear that the police are invested in looking after the wealthy citizens of the city, who, in the government’s eyes, bring in resources, so deserve preferential treatment.
All these themes swirl delicately in Diop’s, at times, lyrical storytelling style. The film’s relatively compact – considering all that it covers – runtime of 104 minutes belies the rich world that the director and her fellow artists have crafted. She used mostly unknown actors for her movie, and they all lend an air of authenticity to the story. As Ada, Mame Bineta Sane gives an understated performance that imparts the loss and grief she feels over Souleiman’s disappearance, and her inner turmoil at being forced to marry a man she doesn’t love.
Amadou Mbow plays Issa as a man eager to rise in the police ranks who starts to see his goals slipping away when he becomes more entangled in the tale of the missing workers. And even though he only appears in a few scenes, Ibrahima Traoré makes Souleiman’s presence felt throughout the film.
Mati Diop has made in Atlantics an unforgettable first feature. Her film is as beautiful as it is mournful, with particular attention paid to people trapped in cycles of poverty. The mystery and supernatural elements to the movie make it an unpredictable and satisfyingly surprising cinematic experience.
Why it got 4.5 stars:
- I can’t stress enough how surprised I was by Atlantics. I had heard nothing but wonderful things about it during awards season of late 2019/early 2020, but I was lucky to not learn too much about the actual plot until I sat down to watch it. The supernatural story line and haunting aesthetic blend wonderfully to make Atlantics a must see.
Things I forgot to mention in my review, because, well, I'm the Forgetful Film Critic:
- Diop uses an old school aspect ratio of 1.66:1 for her movie. I’m loving the continuing trend of filmmakers playing with the shapes of their movies. It’s exciting.
- There’s a great sequence that involves Ada describing to a friend a dream she had. The whole description takes place in voice over against a shot of the ocean. The sequence ends with a smash cut from day to night. It’s a thrilling few minutes of cinema.
- Diop incorporates the ridiculousness of virginity tests when Ada is forced to go through that demeaning “procedure” in preparation for her marriage to Omar.
Close encounters with people in movie theaters:
- The coronavirus lock-down continues. This is week four. A missed connection with a marketing representative meant I had to scramble a little to figure out what I was going to review this week, but I was so happy that I made time for this 2019 release that I didn’t get around to last year.