The River

A somber, reflective road trip that explores identity and belonging with a mix of melancholy and picaresque charm.

Directed by

Mama Keïta

Genres

Drama

Starring

Stomy Bugsy, Vincent Byrd Le Sage, Aurélie Coulibaly

Overview

“The River” ponders whether you can go home again, particularly if you’ve never been there. When Alfa (French rapper Stomy Bugsy) kills his drug-dealer boss in retaliation for a friend’s death, his brother cryptically suggests he leave Paris and “go toward the river.” Accompanied by sassy Senegalese cousin Marie (Auriele Coulibay), he embarks on a road trip back to his disdained African roots. Pic possesses a picaresque charm, plus feisty persona of Marie. But Bugsy is so unflaggingly morose, it’s hard to understand what Marie sees in him. Pic, yet to find a distrib in France, stands little chance in the U.S.

How it feels

Melancholic, earnest and tense. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Identity, family, crime, isolation

Content

Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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