Grigris

Filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's sunlit noir centers on Souleymane (Souléymane Démé), a 25-year-old Burkina Faso immigrant with a paralyzed leg, who works in a Chad photo shop by day but at night dances under the name Grigris with the grace of Michael Jackson. Souleymane, who doesn't see a future in studio portraiture, dreams of dancing full-time. At the shop, he meets statuesque beauty Mimi (Anaïs Monory), a French-African prostitute who needs photos for a modeling contest. Unlike other men in his Muslim town, Souleymane doesn't condemn Mimi for doing what she can to get by. She, in turn, admires Souleymane's work on the floor and in the studio, and before long a courtship begins. When Souleymane's stepfather, Ayoub (Marius Yelolo), falls ill, the hospital bills mushroom more quickly than his mother can pay, so Souleymane turns to petrol smuggling in order to help make ends meet. Unfortunately, Souleymane's disability slows the team down and his struggle during a water crossing leads to a close call with the cops. His boss, Moussa (Cyril Gueï), gives him a second chance, but forbids him from seeing Mimi—which, of course, isn't an option, so Souleymane adopts a course of action that puts his life in danger. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)