Souleymane’s Story

The precarious life of an undocumented Guinean migrant is vividly brought to life in Boris Lojkine’s clear-eyed, compassionate, and quietly devastating film. Souleymane (Abou Sangare), a bike courier navigating deliveries through the frenetic Paris traffic, is two days away from the interview that will determine whether his asylum application will be approved. Part of an underground economy of bike couriers who rent verified accounts, Souleymane must somehow complete his punishing workload between the strict opening hours of the homeless shelter he stays at with other immigrants. Tutored by a fellow Guinean, Souleymane anxiously rehearses the spiel he’s been given to relate to the interviewer, while trying to figure out how to find the money to pay for the necessary documents that go with the interview.