The Story of Souleymane, the oppressive reality behind your UberEats order

A 48-hour epic for Souleymane, the setting of a sad daily life for the rest of us. Under his rain jacket and his hat, on his bike, between restaurants and customers, Souleymane takes us on this frantic race, in search of a little recognition. While he still has the journey from Guinea sticking to him, his loved ones awaiting the price of this ordeal, he mechanically repeats the bogus speech he will give to the immigration services.

A film that we watch in apnea

This film is a true introspection. It is not a question of discovering the streets of Paris in detail, the subject of the film is linked to the title, it is the story of Souleymane. Although we understand that this character is characteristic of a disconcerting majority of takeaway food delivery men, the film focuses on the hero’s point of view. 48 hours which seem like a lifetime, and this feeling stronger than anything: Souleymane’s daily life oppresses us. The hand-held camera and the almost constant close-ups leave us no choice, we share everything with him. We then discover a hero of determination, great mental strength and discreet sensitivity. Even the best thrillers don’t keep us in suspense for that long. We breathe to the rhythm of Souleymane who gets up from his bike after a fall, who runs after the last bus taking him back to the immigrant dormitories outside the city, who grabs a coffee on the go to compensate for his short nights. If we recognize ourselves more in the random customers waiting for their meal, the reality hidden behind the kraft paper serves our hearts. Boris Lojkinaccompanied by Delphine Agut for the scenario, chose to document a subject so common that we emerge from the session inevitably troubled, ready to reconsider this small part of the world around us.

A film inspired by true events

Boris Lojkine is not making his first significant film. Known for the documentary quality of his productions, he had already received distinctions for Hope (2014) et Camille (2019). Pour The Story of Souleymanehe received the Jury Prize in the section A certain look at the Cannes Film Festival and the Best Actor Award for the actor playing the title role, played by About Sangare. This reward is easily understood, Abou Sangare offers us a sensitive performance of disconcerting accuracy, and for good reason, Souleymane’s life is inspired by his own. The actor is also still awaiting paperwork regulation at the moment (to learn more about Abou Sangare, see the interview with Konbini). Although the events focus on a particular topic, it is important to view the film as a picture of a broader reality. The debate led by the Maison des delivereurs and the Moc Bruxelles, proposed by the Palace cinema, as part of the Cinemamed Festivalunfortunately confirmed that the Souleymane case is not isolated. He is the direct representative of the failures of the capitalist system. The guests of the debate, also personally affected by these failures, explain to us that no one leaves their country for nothing, at the risk of their life, that often there is a family behind who is waiting to be saved financially from a distance. When we ask them for the solution, they answer the regulation of undocumented immigrants, a cause to join. They talk to us about politics and tell us that Paris or Brussels are the same problem; delivery men share completely similar situations, the same thankless daily life. It is the system behind the delivery platforms that poses a problem, and again, the guests criticize the fact that there is a lack of material in the film in relation to the generalized racism towards delivery people.

The Story of Souleymane is a modern epic. A film that invites us to open our eyes to what we don’t want to see, or what we still don’t know. It also allows us to gain awareness and humanity, to re-sensitize ourselves to the dark side of a system in which we are direct actors.