Set in Paris, director Boris Lojkine’s latest film follows Souleymane (an astonishing turn from Abou Sangaré), seeking asylum in France as an immigrant from Guinea. Through Souleymane’s eyes, Paris becomes a gritty, unforgiving landscape of danger, fragility and relentless bureaucracy.
First-time actor Sangaré won best actor in Un Certain Regard at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and the 2025 most promising actor César (the French equivalent of the Oscars) for the role. In the opening moments of the film, it becomes clear why.
The first scene follows Souleymane into a waiting room. Nervous and tense, he captures the audience’s attention with only a few gestures and fleeting expressions. Sangaré’s performance is raw yet remarkably restrained, suffused with the kind of vulnerability that makes it impossible to look away.
