Souleymane’s Story

Boris Lojkine’s fourth film follows an undocumented Guinean immigrant, Souleymane (Abou Sangare) through the bustling streets of Paris for over two days as he makes bike courier food deliveries while preparing for his asylum interview. Part of an underground economy of couriers who rent verified accounts, Souleymane works morning to night, piecing together a life between the strict schedule of the homeless shelter he stays at with other immigrants, fitting in as many deliveries as possible to avoid penalties from the app, and somehow finding time to call his girlfriend back at home.

All of this leaves Souleymane with little time to assemble the payment and necessary paperwork for his well-meaning but harried immigration broker or to commit all the details of his revised asylum narrative to memory. Despite the pressing nature of his obligations, Souleymane’s personality shines through in his brief moments of respite — joking with other immigrant couriers, helping an elderly customer, and connecting with a kebab vendor. First-time actor Sangare (winner of Un Certain Regard Best Actor prize for this film at Cannes) gives a commanding performance, radiant in its vulnerability and empathy, and culminating in the emotionally raw scene of the interview that will ultimately decide Souleymane’s fate.

Drawing inspiration from classic social-issue dramas, but adding the driving urgency of a thriller, Lojkine crafts a topical and emotionally immersive portrait of a young man whose story is simultaneously singular yet shared by the many undocumented labourers who urban centres rely on, yet constantly seek to restrict.

ROBYN CITIZEN

Content advisory: coarse language