Atlantics is one of those films that defies easy categorization. It is equal parts a supernatural drama, a romance, a story about the struggles of womanhood, and one of economic oppression, and for first time director, Mati Diop, who also co-wrote the film with Olivier Demangel, to balance these varying subjects and tones in a way that services each appropriately is pretty astonishing. It’s no wonder why the film ultimately won the Grand Prix at the most recent Cannes Film Festival, where Diop was also notably (and sadly) the first black female director to be featured in competition at the prestige festival.
The film follows Ada (Mame Bineta Sane), a young woman who lives in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. While she is meant to marry the wealthy Omar (Babacar Sylla) in just a few days, it is with Souleiman (Ibrahima Traoré) that she is in love with, and sees a future with. However, he isn’t rich, he’s a working man, trying to make due as a construction worker, but his boss hasn’t paid him and the rest of the workers for several months already. So, many of the men, Souleiman among them, sail away in hopes of finding better opportunities.
When the night of Ada’s wedding eventually arrives, a small fire breaks out at Omar’s home. It appears to be an act of arson, so the authorities begin investigating. Things take a strange turn when the detective, Issa (Amadou Mbow), believes Souleiman is somehow involved due to a witness claiming to have seen him, which would be impossible. Ada becomes a suspected as being involved as well. And pretty much right away, strange things begin happening around the town, as well as with the detective and even one of Ada’s friends. As the film goes on, more details are revealed as the mystery of what’s really happening starts unfolding.
Atlantics is a very quietly impressive film, in the sense that it doesn’t overwhelm you with big stylistic flourishes, and while the material could easily call for a more melodramatic tone, the emotional throughline is fairly understated. As a debut, Diop shows a lot of restraint and confidence in her direction, capturing the day-to-days of living in a place like Dakar, the struggles that young women in Ada’s position often face, and the way she handles the turns into the supernatural as the film goes on is dealt with in a very delicate, yet matter-of-fact manner that packs an emotional wallop by the time it ends.
Performances are strong across the board, but it’s with Mame Bineta Sane that the film lives and dies on. She carries the film well, bringing a raw, fiery energy to the proceedings, and she is able to convey so much without the need of dialogue, especially as she goes through some major changes as the story and her character progresses. Her character deals with a lot of heavy things, and while she isn’t necessarily prepared to handle it all, she can recognize that she has to face certain aspects of life despite any inhibitions. There’s a lot of bleakness here, but it ends on a surprisingly hopeful note, one that yearns for a better tomorrow.
There is a lot to be impressed by with Atlantics. Be it the central performance from Mame Bineta Sane, or the beautiful filmmaking from Mati Diop, which feels gritty, lived in, while at the same time, bringing an almost ethereal quality drenched in melancholy and gothic embellishments. It’s a sensual and haunting little film that offers something very different from almost anything else you’ll see out there right now, and it’s a thoroughly engaging watch from beginning to end. It definitely showcases a promising future for Mati Diop as a filmmaker, and I can’t wait to see whatever she does next. It just released on Netflix over the past weekend, and it’s one I would highly encourage you to check out, preferably knowing as little as possible.