ATLANTIQUE (ATLANTICS (2019))

Can a story about ghosts who possess people told through the aesthetics and pacing of a slice-of-life drama work? Sure. In fact, I usually admire movies that tell a story in a different genre than what we're used to seeing. However, you have to keep the number of characters and subplots as low as possible, in order for everything to feel like it belongs in the same movie. The number in ATLANTIQUE (ATLANTICS) is a little too high. Whenever we transition from the ghosts going after a tycoon to ADA (the protagonist) pondering about her future and her place in society, it feels more jarring than seeing a Senegalese eating thiébou without adding dienne, yapp, guinar or guerté. Why not write the story in a way that all of the ghosts' problems (not just her lover SOULEIMAN's) connect to her? Why not write her as the detective assigned to the case (instead of ISSA) and still have her go through an arranged marriage? Why not write her fiancée as the tycoon? I know I know, I should judge a movie based on what it is rather than what it's not. Honestly, I might give these issues a pass if the overall presentation was good enough. Mati Diop's directing, Diop and Olivier Demangel's script, Claire Mathon's cinematography and Aël Dallier Vega's editing aren't bad at all, but there's nothing special about them. The performances are merely passable and the characters are uninteresting.

5/10
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