‘Souleymane’s Story’ Review: Navigating Immigration Challenges

‘Souleymane’s Story’ Review: An Immigrant’s Journey in Food Delivery

Souleymane (Abou Sangare) is a Guinean immigrant hustling through the streets of Paris, making food deliveries at all hours to gather funds for asylum papers to present to OFPRA (the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons). Despite being surrounded by a community of African immigrants who are theoretically willing to help him, every service comes with a price, and the quality of assistance is often lacking.

Without legal citizenship, Souleymane cannot create his own account on food delivery apps. An acquaintance allows him to use his account, taking 50% of the earnings while Souleymane does all the work. He also pays for coaching for his immigration interview, receiving dubious advice to fabricate sob stories about political persecution to gain asylum. Life is challenging for an unhoused, undocumented gig worker, but his biggest obstacle may be the numerous grifters draining his limited resources.

Boris Lojkine’s film “Souleymane’s Story” follows the titular immigrant over two days leading up to his asylum interview. This social realist drama evokes films like “I, Daniel Blake” and “Tori and Lokita,” illustrating the Sisyphean tasks that vulnerable individuals face while navigating bureaucracies meant to assist them. It also highlights the unique challenges posed by the gig economy.

Food delivery is Souleymane’s only source of income, but racing through Paris traffic on cold, rainy nights is just the beginning of his troubles. He deals with slow restaurants, capricious customers who cancel orders, and elderly clients struggling with the new security code system. These external delays negatively impact his app rating, risking suspensions and delayed payments to people he owes money. The delivery sequences are reminiscent of Sean Baker’s work, showcasing how poverty can turn simple errands into chaotic experiences.

“Souleymane’s Story” doesn’t break new ground, sometimes delving too deeply into French immigration law, sacrificing universality for specificity. However, it effectively delivers one man’s story as he navigates the critical days leading up to his plea to remain in France. Sangare portrays the character with a resilient spirit, while Lojkine and co-writer Delphine Agut continuously present him with challenges that feel both surprising and inevitable.

At times, Souleymane feels like he’s sprinting in a race without a finish line, and at other times, he runs into an unyielding wall. The film captures the tension between these opposing outcomes, with its contradictions becoming its greatest strength as it portrays the relentless exhaustion of navigating a system that often disregards the very individuals it claims to support.

Grade: B-

A Kino Lorber release, “Souleymane’s Story” opens in theaters on Friday, August 1.

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