Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Subtitled drama takes unexpected twist; strong language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Where to Watch
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Atlantics
What's the Story?
In cultures where one of the few routes out of poverty is to marry money, the pressure is great for young people who must sacrifice in order to help their families. In ATLANTICS, Ada (the mesmerizing Mama Sané) is a lovely 17-year-old Senegalese girl promised to Omar (Babacar Sylla), the son of a wealthy family with a large, luxurious house and international lifestyle. The trouble is that Ada is in love with Souleiman (Ibrahima Traoré), a struggling construction worker whose wealthy boss hasn't paid his crew for three months. As her wedding day nears, Ada becomes more despondent, partly because she'll be turned over to Omar's family like property, but also because Souleiman, stiffed by his boss, took off with friends to seek work in Spain and has been reported lost at sea. On her wedding day, when Ada's wedding bed spontaneously combusts with no detectable cause for ignition, a young cop (Amadou Mbow) accuses Ada, who was in another room, and her dead boyfriend, who was, of course, dead. What's really going on here?
Is It Any Good?
First-time Senegalese director Mati Diop uses her clear eye to present real problems faced by real women all over the world, and that aspect of her film is to be commended and supported. Diop is the first African female director to be in the Cannes Film Festival's important Competition section, and Atlantics was awarded the festival's coveted Grand Prix in 2019.
But the film's weaknesses go beyond its difficult-to-follow narrative. There's very little character development -- we have no idea why Ada and Souleiman love each other, apart from some convincing kissing. Nor is the slightest clue or insight provided into Souleiman's personality. Women break into a rich man's home demanding money they're owed. Who are they? Why is the money owed? Why are all their eyes milky? Are they zombies? If they're zombies, why do the police seem to be treating their arrival in a rich man's home as an ordinary crime? Close to the end of the film, we discover what's really going on, but it feels like that information is coming 40 minutes too late. And then the details of the condition/situation raise even more questions, none of which are given clear or satisfactory answers. Such fuzzy artiness is bound to have limited appeal for those who like specifics.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Atlantics shifts from realism to the paranormal. Did you like the switch? Why or why not? Did you expect it?
In some cultures, young people must marry spouses chosen by their parents. What do you think might be some of the pros and cons of that practice?
Do you consider any of the characters role models? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 29, 2019
- Cast : Mama Sané , Ibrahima Traore , Amadou Mbow , Babacar Sylla
- Director : Mati Diop
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Black Movie Director(s) , Multiracial Movie Director(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Romance
- Run time : 104 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : September 28, 2024
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