SOULEIMAN: Your eyes never left me. They were there, within me, pouring their light into the depths.
Hello everyone! Welcome to this week's post about the movie Atlantique, Atlantics in English. While it was a hard watch for me (I was very tired that day!), I found the plot very intriguing. Thank you so much for being here and I hope you enjoy reading the post!
Atlantique is co-written and directed by the brilliant Mati Diop. It is her debut film - and a successful one as she received numerous awards including NYFCC Award for Best First Film and the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. While the film starts off as a love story, it gradually escalates into a supernatural plot but still manages to keep the romance fresh between the characters. The plot was especially surprising to me since I had no prior knowledge about it. By mixing elements of romance, mysticism, and (inevitable) politics, Diop presents a rich content to her viewers.
Before diving into the characters, I must mention the political aspect of the film as it was the most captivating part to me. In one of her interviews, Diop talks about a crucial event in the Senegalese society that caused hundreds of young people to lose their lives in the ocean. She says that this event sparked an inspiration in her to make this movie. In her words, she wanted the story of this lost generation to be told by the living one. That's why the plot is centered around a group of laborers and being told by Ada. Now that we mentioned, let's talk about the characters more in-depth.
Let's start with Ada, our main perspective in this film. Ada is a young woman who is in love with Souleiman, the said construction laborer we see earlier in the film. Their love is depicted as forbidden and extremely private, as Ada is forced to marry Omer solely based on financial benefits. We witness as Ada struggles to keep this relationship private and emotionally falls apart when she hears about the fatal boat accident. Throughout the film, Ada goes through a lot of emotional states; be it grief when she thought she lost Souleiman, shock when she realized he came back to her in another form, and determination in the end when she decided to let go of her past. Witnessing these emotions with her is a big part of the actress's success, Mame Bineta Sane portrayed this character in such a way that she brings the audience from their seats to deep into the movie.
Let's move forward to Souleiman, the representative of all the wasted hopes and dreams of the laborers that passed away. Ever since the beginning of the film, Souleiman's gaze is always fixated on the ocean, as if he knows what the future holds to him. Souleiman is deeply in love with Ada, so much so that he never wanted to leave her without a final goodbye after he lost his life. In the end, his soul returns to her in the form of detective Issa to give his lover a deserved farewell. My favorite scene in the movie was their reunion, we see them dancing slowly from the mirror's reflection and feel the untold words between lovers.
Before reaching the end of this post, I'd like to recommend the captivating soundtrack of this film composed by Fatima Al Qadiri. I found the score fitting to the movie's mood and atmosphere, and I hope you find it this way too!
Overall, looking back at the characters, I'm giving this movie a well-deserved 8 out of 10. As I do with every post at this point, I want to express my frustration about not seeing this film in a movie theater. It's partly my fault though, I could've seen it in 2019 when the cinema was open. Anyway, thank you so much for reading this far, and don't forget to check out my Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr, all with the same nickname moviesatdawn. You are also very welcome to comment down below or let me know of your suggestions by mailing me at: moviesatdawn@gmail.com! Thank you again and see you next week!
ADA: Some memories are omens. Last night will stay with me, to remind me of who I am... and show me who I will become. Ada, to whom the future belongs.
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