Atlantics is French actor/writer/director Mati Diop’s impressive debut feature. It’s also the first film directed by a black woman to be in the main competition at Cannes, where it won the Grand Prix. The story focuses on a young woman named Ada living on the coast of Dakar, Senegal. With the date for her arranged marriage approaching, she’s fallen in love with another man. Although equally smitten, Souleiman sets off at night in a rickety boat to make the dangerous trip across the Atlantic in search of work in Spain. A construction laborer, his corrupt boss hasn’t paid him or his co-workers in months. Like many before him, Souleiman tragically disappears at sea. Ada is consumed with grief – and a series of unexplainable events begin to occur. The mattress of her wealthy fiancé is set on fire disrupting the wedding. A determined local detective begins following Ada, hoping to solve the mystery of the arsonist. Part romance, part ghost story, Atlanticsis a visually stunning tale of love and loss – and female empowerment.
