Un Certain Regard’s Best Actor and Jury Prize winner The Story of Souleymane joins the KVIFF festival this year, revealing Abou Sangaré as a gladiator in an adrenaline-pumped drama that showcases ‘Survival of the Fittest’ in the most compromised way. However, there is something meaningful and agonizing that circulates around it.
Are you still affected by Marion Cotillard’s incredible performance in Two Days, One Night (Deux jours, une nuit)? I am. The year yells 2024, but her exquisite punch in the gut role is still making waves as one of her best to date. 2014 Hope film director Boris Lojkine re-entered the Cannes circuit this year with a similar presentation of Deux jours, une nuit (Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 2014), but in a spin off route through his breathtaking film, The Story of Souleymane. Not just any story, but a mesmerizing truth that I’m pretty sure Cotillard and even the Dardenne brothers will be proud of. The Story of Souleymane landed at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, within its top-level Horizons section, alongside All We Imagine as Light, Brief History of a Family, Explanation for Everything, Julie Keeps Quiet and Grand Tour, to name just a few.
Souleymane (Abou Sangaré) never stops. There is a constant sense of anticipation in him. He is always on the run, acquiring a list of to-do jobs that doesn’t give him a second to spare. At one point, he waits for a legal document, and at another, he picks up food for delivery using his bicycle. As he traverses the streets of Paris, he recites. He remembers. He narrates a story that he ultimately commits to memory. Souleymane’s journey to grabbing a life-changing fortune isn’t an easy one. It takes a toll on his whole system of living, for better or for worse.
Is this a political film? You may ask. There is politics in every corner of a progression, and it takes a huge amount of reliance and fortitude to withstand its effects. Director Boris Lojkine skillfully enhances the impact of tackling the The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA), which grants asylum and protects refugees and stateless individuals in France, with a fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled screenplay that rapidly escalates the level of obstacles. Boris’s eloquent direction in exposing the barriers of seeking legal citizenship is not only visionary, but it also stops our breath to rekindle the unthinkable hurdles that one has to go through. He cultivates a microscopic view on the difficulties of maintaining a place to stand and a roof to go under for refugees seeking asylum in France, zooming into the legal procedures and backlashes that arise in every way.
A cycle of white lies takes hold, compromising the truth. Souleymane’s One Man Show transforms into a moving exhibit, enlightening every viewer about the murky world where competitiveness and oppression undermine a refugee’s determination and mental fortitude. Souleymane may have a crystal-pure heart, but he does not get it in return most of the time. The phrase “Life is just unfair” echoes through our minds. Abou Sangaré takes center stage, immersing us in a life-changing and transformational performance in his first time career. Time becomes the main enemy for Souleymane where every second lost forms a risk, and the possibility to maneuver the risk is by heading in an unprecedented direction, similar to Laure Calamy in À plein temps. The navy blue-like color palette that supposedly shows a sign of hope and calmness becomes an illusive factor here, juxtaposing responsibilities and chaos along the way.
Every corner of Souleymane’s objective has an axe attached to it, and he is in the middle of the route holding a metal shield to protect himself. The metal shield begins to corrode, eventually piercing a hole, yet Souleymane remains unfazed. Rain or shine, nothing seems to stop Souleymane. Perhaps it’s a test of patience. Perhaps the final 15 minutes of the film, in an “examination” mode, will provide a deeper understanding of why these could be Souleymane’s most earnest moments. At this point, a never-before-seen Souleymane emerges, placing the time bomb in front of us.
We are delighted to be covering the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on the ground. Explore our coverage here.
