New York Magazine - USA (2019-11-11)

94 newyork| november11–24, 2019

TheCULTUREPAGES

InthebeginningscenesofAtlantics,
themuch-laudeddebutfeature filmfrom
French-SenegalesedirectorMatiDiop
and thewinnerofthisyear’s Cannes
GrandPrix,a groupofyoungmendepart
fromthesuburbsofDakarinsearchof
workinSpain.Theirexitis swift andcar-
riedoutinsecret—theirmothers,sisters,
andloversdiscoverthelossonlyafter
they’vegatheredat a localnightcluband
passthenewsaroundlike a handkerchief.
Theclubmightaswellbea funeral home;
it’ s asif theboyswere deadalready.In life,
theywere constructionworkers,andtheir
disappearanceforcesthearchitectureof
thecitytotake onnew,illusory shapes.A
half-builtskyscraper,initiallytheglim-
mering totem of economic promise,
becomesa monumentofsuffering,and
theshoreline,oncea locusoffascination,
startstofeellike a choke hold.
Ada,thefilm’s 17-year-oldlead,begins
tosensethespectral presenceofhermiss-
inglover,Souleiman,inplaceswhere he
doesn’t belong:inhernewiPhone,pur-
chasedbyherfiancé,whomshedespises,
andinthebodyofa copwhoclaimstobe
seekingjusticebutwouldratherseeherin
jail.InAtlantics,lovedones,geographies,
nations, andinstitutions make false
promises,andthethwarteddesiresof
Diop’s charactersprovidethecentral
dramaofthefilm,whichwillbedistrib-
utedbyNetflixlaterthismonth.In Octo-
ber,it wassubmittedtorepresentSenegal
inthecompetitionforBest International
FeatureFilmat the 2020 Oscars.If nomi-
nated,whichseemslikely,it willbethe

first Senegalesefilmtoviefortheaward.

Ifit wins,it willbeoneofonlyfourAfri-

canfilmstohaveclinchedtheprize.

“whenyou talkaboutdeathina

movie,”Dioptellsmeaswepacethelength

ofHarlem’s MorningsidePark,“it’s alsoto

reevaluatetheimportanceoflife.” Ambu-

lancesirensdroneinthedistance,occasion-

allysplicedwiththeshrieksofa jackham-

mer. We were supposedtomeet forlunchat

a restaurantonthestretchof116thStreet

nicknamed“LittleSenegal,”butwhenwe

arrived,theplaceappearedtobedeserted.

Thedoorwasopenbutthelightswere off,

andwithouttheapprovalof a host orwaiter,

it seemedfoolishtoassumeourrolesas

patrons.We decidedtogo fora walk.

Diop,I quicklydiscovered,cancon-

scriptnearlyanyoneintoa collaborative

modeofspeech.Shegesturesprofusely

andspeaksinlong,swollensentences,

onlytopausebefore utteringherfinal

word.Duringherintroductionfora New

York Film Festival screening of two films

by her uncle, the legendary Senegalese

director Djibril Diop Mambéty, audience

members finished at least two of her sen-

tences. Diop invites the participation.

Filming Atlantics was also a joint

effort. “I guess I need the people who act

in the film to know more about the char-

actersthanI do,” Dioptellsme.“Ineed

themtohaveexperiencedit,sowhenthey

act,it’s aboutthem.” Thecast is composed

offirst-timeactors,andshefoundmost of

themwhiletheywere goingabouttheir

dailylives.Shesays,“Iwaslookingfor

peoplewhohavea socialbackgroundthat

makesthemconnectedwiththerealityof

thecharacters.”IbrahimaTraoré,who

playsSouleiman,is a constructionworker

bytrade.Ada,whointhefilmisforced

intoanarranged marriage and gains

greatercontroloverherfateonlywhen

visitedbywhatappearstobetheghost of

Souleiman,isplayedbyMameBineta

Sane.WhenDiopfoundherstandingout-

sideherfamily’s homeontheoutskirts of

Dakar,Sanehadquitformalschooling

andwasplanningtomarry. TheKuwaiti

electronicmusicianFatimaAlQadiri,

whocomposedthefilm’s score, describes

Diop’s directorialstyleinmysticalterms.

“There’sa lotofprovidenceinAtlantics,”

shetellsme.(AlQadiriherselfalmost

drownedwhenshewas 10 andis terrified

ofthesea.)“Matiis a bitofa witch.”

matidiopwasbornin 1982inParis.

Hermotheris Frenchandwhite,andher

father, WasisDiop,isa Senegalesejazz

musicianwhomovedtoFranceinthe

1970s.Whenshewas26,shemadeher

actingdebutasthedaughterofa father

playedbyAlex DescasinClaireDenis’s

35 ShotsofRum.ThefilmfollowsDiop’s

characterasshematuresoutoftheapart-

mentwherethepairhassharedmeals,

friends,andunexpectedgrief. Herper-

formanceissubtle,andthere’s a quiet,

familialintimacybetweenherandDes-

cas.Thefilmdidn’t findtheaudienceit

shouldhave,whichDiopchalksuptothe

factthat Frenchviewers“didn’tunder-

standhowa filmwitha blackmancould

nothaveasitssubject hisblackness.”

Becausecoming-of-agefilmsare satu-

ratedwithimagesofwhitesuburban

angst,blackactorsare rarelydepictedin

thetendernessofadolescence.“Inmy

childhood,myownidentity complexities

wereexperiencedandarticulatedina

lonelyway,” Dioptellsme.Untilnow, she

explains, French people have never

re ferredtoherasa “blackactress”or

“blackdirector,”a symptomofthecoun-

try’s purportedlycapaciousbrandof

Between senegal and the Canary Islands stretch

almost 1,000 miles of ocean. Cruise ships cut through the waves like knives.

They make the journey in 11 days, and their passengers, who pay upward

of $4,000 for a ticket, disembark unscathed. But luxury tourism almost

always involves a contortion of optics. Since the mid-1990s, thousands of

people along Senegal’s coast, most of them young and poor, have boarded

smaller boats, typically used for fishing, in hopes of reaching Europe. The

Canary Islands—which sit about halfway between Senegal and Europe

and are an archipelago belonging to Spain, making them part of the

EU—are often their first stop. Along the way, the waves can appear as

big as mountains, and the boats, made from wood and rusted nails, act

as fragile as flesh. An unknown but staggering number of migrants have

drowned, and their bodies populate the ocean as if it were a mass grave.

PREVIOUS PAGE, STYLING BY DIANA TSUI. JACKET, TOP, SKIRT BY BALENCIAGA AT BALENCIAGA.COM.

“Nobody around

me in Paris was

really interested in

Africa, even

filmmakers.”