SILVER

[L'HISTOIRE DE SOULEYMANE]
An intense and moving examination of 48 hours in the life of a young Guinean man leading up to his asylum hearing in Paris, Boris Lojkine’s film won three awards at Cannes, including Best Performance in the Un Certain Regard section for first-time actor Abou Sangare’s magnetic lead performance. Unable to work legally, Souleymane (Sangare) hustles nonstop as a bike deliveryman, logged into a delivery app under another person’s name, to whom he must give a large cut of his earnings. Still more of his money goes to Barry (Alpha Oumar Sow), a fixer who coaches aspiring asylum seekers on how to craft supposedly fail-safe narratives for their interviews by embellishing some points and inventing others. Constantly in motion, Souleymane careens around the city, from delivery drop-off to bus stop to homeless shelter, with only fleeting moments to speak to friend and stranger alike. Convincingly and kinetically, Lojkine’s film shows us the constant struggle of the would-be asylum seeker’s life. The riveting final scene, Souleymane’s climactic interview with a tough but not unsympathetic official (Nina Meurisse), will leave viewers breathless. –Todd Hitchcock

Official Selection, 2024 Cannes and Toronto film festivals. DIR/SCR Boris Lojkine; SCR Delphine Agut; PROD Bruno Nahon. France, 2024, color, 93 min. In French, Fulah and Malinka with English subtitles. NOT RATED