![]() Except that the exact stakes of this event are vaguely defined, only occasionally, fleetingly, and largely insignificantly making its presence felt. The filmmaker paints the sky red, setting the story against the backdrop of a mysterious and unprecedented astronomical event, an alignment of the planets that is having unexpected consequences on the Earthbound. With a story established to lead to the inevitable and predictable collision course between the major players, Ido looks to bring a twist to your typical tale of the banlieue. But when he needs a helping hand, Daniel steps in, remaining torn between his duties as a brother and the opportunity of pursuing a straight life. And while he might seem vulnerable conducting business from a wheelchair, he’s a gearhead who has tricked out his chair with secret features, all while working on a clandestine project in the basement of his building. It’s news he hasn’t shared with Joshua, who is dangerously continuing his unsanctioned drug dealing in the margins of the rōnin’s turf. He certainly won’t get any support from Daniel, a runner who is training for an important upcoming meet, while secretly plotting a move to Canada with his girlfriend and daughter. None of this sits well with Christophe, an old-school dealer who is eager to reclaim his turf, even if he has to do it himself. Their objectives are philanthropic too, with the rōnin using their earnings to improve their neighborhood, instead of squandering it on personal possessions. The sobriquet applies to their collective approach to shared leadership, where each member is empowered to make their own decisions, knowing they will be backed up their crew. Returning home from a stretch in prison, Christophe is displeased to discover the drug trade is now managed by a new gang of youths who are self-styled rōnin (“samurais without masters”). But years have passed since the childhood accident that left Joshua paralyzed below the waist and Christophe’s brother dead. At least that was the case when Daniel (Max Gomis), his brother Joshua (Steve Tientcheu), and Christophe (Jean-Baptiste Anoumon) had the run of the place. Times may change, but the street code of the banlieue of Stains, France remains the same: stay true to your turf and never turn your back on the neighborhood. A somewhat ambitious step forward for French-Burkinabé filmmaker Cédric Ido, the film dangles a handful of themes about loyalty and brotherhood among the underclass but never engages with them enough to have something meaningful to say. Planet Alignment: Ito Brings Sci-fi to banlieue DramaĪ standard issue banlieue crime pic is mashed up with thinly developed sci-fi elements in The Gravity ( La Gravité), a film that, despite its efforts to reinvent genre tropes, nevertheless feels utterly routine.
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