Atlantics (2019)
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Atlantics Movie Review
Atlantics is a 2019 Senegalese supernatural romantic drama film directed by Mati Diop. It’s a very slow, but unique and different movie.
A soon-to-be-inaugurated futuristic tower looms over a suburb of Dakar. Ada, 17, is in love with Souleimane, a young construction worker. But she has been promised to another man. One night, Souleimane and his co-workers disappear at sea. Soon after, they come back to haunt their old neighborhood by taking possession of the girlfriends they left behind. Some of the workers have come claiming revenge and threaten to burn the tower down if the developer does not pay their wages.
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Yes, the story is very authentic and unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s a film that is very difficult to categorize into genres, but it is a romantic drama with supernatural elements. I personally loved those fantastical elements, though they are underutilized, but the traditional African beliefs are so well emphasized here leading to a culturally authentic experience.
As for the romance, it also works. It’s sensual and very moving at times. I also loved its dramatic elements, especially the strong conversations between the women, and some intense moments later down the line. The film is very feminist in approach, but never overly aggressive which is great.
However, Atlantics is very slow to a fault. I am talking about many scenes which consist of just long stares from the protagonist mainly, and in particular those long takes and shots, no matter how well composed, really grind those moments to a halt which is unfortunate. There are many great elements here overall, but most are underutilized in favor of artistic sequences leading to a thematically rich, but somewhat unfinished movie.
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But the central acting performance from Mame Bineta Sane is very strong and her Ada is quite easy to root for. Others are also memorable themselves. The film is so well scored, set and perfectly shot with some amazing takes of the sea. The film is very moody from beginning to end, and with a horror/fairy tale quality to it that is very authentic. It also pleasantly reminded me of ‘I Walked with a Zombie’ in some horror/zombie-inspired sequences.
Naturalistic, mythical and fantastical, Atlantics is also romantic and quite dramatic at times. It’s a film that is difficult to categorize which makes it a very unique, different viewing experience that is also very moody and wonderfully shot and composed. The overly slow pace and some very prolonged takes are its flaws, though.
