The Atlantic sea, seen from the coast of Senegal sounds a hypnotic call in Mati Diop's Cannes prize-winning debut feature.
Construction worker Souleiman toils on the construction of super-skyscraper in Dakar. He and Ada are besotted with each other, even though she is betrothed to the wealthy Omar. When Souleiman is stiffed on his wages, he sets off on the perilous sea voyage to a more prosperous life. But when the men don’t return, their spirits begin haunting those who have wronged them in life.
With its mix of sensuous, haunting imagery and poetic interpretation of social problems, Diop’s film bears comparison to the best of Claire Denis. A gilded feat of imagination, Diop explodes our notions of the migrant crisis into something that settles deep into the soul.
