Atlantics

"Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and dreams of Time."
-H.P. Lovecraft

Construction is everywhere in the opening shots of Atlantics, directed and co-written by Mati Diop, taking place on the coast of Dakar, Senegal. To the left, there are numerous buildings that appear as if they will never be finished; to the right is a futuristic-looking, prodigious tower that looks like something out of Dubai or Manama. There are plenty of cows wondering around, as well. The tower seems omnipresent, or at least the consequences of its construction are. There is the ocean, of the natural world, and the tower, man-made; both are potent and destructive forces in this tale, which won the Grand Prix at last year's Cannes Film Festival. In the first scene of Atlantics, there are also exhausted, frustrated men working in unbearable conditions building this tower without pay for three months.

Diop has discussed in interviews that this is a story of a generation of lost youth. "Times are tough," one character says here. She's right. Senegal's average monthly salary is about $100. A young man from the West African country was quoted in Reuters as saying, "The only thing we know is migration. Migration equals success." Thousands of Senegalese would agree with this, as thousands have fled for Europe. Many have failed. One of the workers in this story who has been without pay and thus must migrate is Souleiman (Ibrahima Traoré). He is in a relationship with Ada (first-time actress Mame Bineta Sané), but Ada is to wed Omar (Babacar Sylla), a wealthy businessman from a pious family. (Ada's parents are traditionalists, too, and they surely would not be happy if Ada were to dishonor them by leaving Omar for Souleiman.) "God is testing you," Ada is warned by a friend. "He put Soulemain in your path."

Ada discovers that Souleiman and some of the other men who have not been paid have decided to take the risky voyage from Senegal to Spain in hopes of finding work. Ada's story is wed to this subplot, a supernatural addition late into the film revolving around the new tower, its rich owner, and the men he's refused to pay and who have fled to Spain. But even if audiences might come away with these moments stuck with them, it's Ada's story that really drives this film. She goes through with the wedding, despite how miserable she knows the marriage will make her, but a fire starts and all events start to unravel in a most mysterious fashion. The police get involved, as it is very unclear as to how the fire was started, and this is where the film decides to be unlike most you've ever seen.

Soon it becomes apparent to the viewer that this will not be the story of Souleman but of Ada. That's the first of many turns this film takes, not simply in plot but in genre. It starts as a romantic tale of a cute young couple in which the woman is to be wed to a man she does not love. Then it becomes a mystery, then a drama, with a dash of horror and magic realism, all the while commenting on the troubles Senegalese people face; its "eat the rich" mentality puts it in good company with some of last year's most talked-about films, such as Joker, Hustlers, Parasite, and Knives Out. The topics Diop and her team seem to be commenting on, at least to me, are toxic masculinity, cultural conservatism, and capitalism.

Aside from Diop's fantastic storytelling skills, one particularly praiseworthy element of Atlantics is the score by Fatima Al Qadiri. Al Qadiri, a Kuwaiti musician based in Germany, is a member of the group Future Brown, and this is her first score for a full-length feature film; its eeriness might remind some of the music in Stranger Things. When Ada finally marries Omar, it is Al Qadiri's music that adds to the unsettledness. Fine, too, are the cinematography of Claire Mathon (who also shot Portrait of a Lady On Fire) and the cast, most of them non-actors. The most noteworthy is Sane, who was discovered by Diop walking down the street. Her natural performance is reminiscent of similar films, like Whale Rider, Wadjda, and Roma. She is able to convey a clear message with only her eyes, and she helps give Ada increasing agency as the film progresses, even as others stand in her way.