I watched dozens of movies at TIFF last month, and like any other year, my brain turned to goop as they all started smushing together in my head. It takes a special movie to stand out from all the festival noise. So, it speaks volumes that after all these weeks, Atlantics (aka Atlantique) is still on my mind.

Atlantics is the feature debut from the French actor Mati Diop. And let me tell you, it’s a wonderous accomplishment. Atlantics first screened back in May, where it won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival – and for a good reason. The story takes us to Dakar, Senegal, to weave a supernatural tale of love and loss. After seeing the movie, I’ll say that this gorgeous new trailer does an excellent job giving you a taste of the film’s vibe. Check it out below.

Atlantics trailer:

What’s most impressive if how Atlantics affects you on so many levels; a tender love story, a haunting ghost story, as well as an infuriating social commentary. That being said, this is an arthouse movie, and its unique rhythms may turn off mainstream audiences. But if you’re open to a different type of movie experience, Atlantics has the goods to rock your world. I can’t wait to see this film again once it arrives on Netflix next month.

Atlantics synopsis:

After a group of unpaid construction workers disappears at sea one night in search of a better life abroad, the women they have left behind in Dakar are overwhelmed with a mysterious fever.  Ada, 17, secretly grieves for her love Souleiman, one of the departed workers, but she has been promised to another man.  After a fire breaks out on her wedding night, a young policeman is sent to investigate the crime. Little does he know that the aggrieved workers have come back as haunting, possessive spirits.  While many of them seek vengeance for their unpaid labour, Souleiman has come back for a different purpose – to be with his Ada one last time.

Atlantics arrives on Netflix on November 29.