★★★
Three brothers -- a gangster, a scholar and an impressionable teen -- learn hard lessons in the gritty suburbs while searching for the means to survive.
Classification: 15
The morality of the lawful and unlawful are the focus of this by the numbers urban crime drama held together by its performances but let down by its predictability and lack of originality. Focusing on the story of the three Traoré brothers; Demba, Soulaymaan, and how the two elder brothers are dual influences for their youngest brother Noumouké who is still hasn't chosen what path to choose. Dembe is a criminal estranged from their mother while Soulaymaan is an aspiring law student, Street Flow, however, shows that the two sides of the law aren't entirely black and white.
The ongoing theme of the film is responsibility and delivers that theme both through the characters relationships to one another, especially and the larger concepts of what is responsible for the social injustice witnessed in the film. Demba and Soulaymaan both feel an obligation to guide their brother on the right path but as the storyline develops their initial world views begin to skewer. The performances are the strongest component to Street Flow with Kery James as Demba and Jammeh Diangana as Soulaymaan capturing the soul and intentions of the film spectacularly well. Demba is a character who wishes to longer to be the outcast of his family but is unable to separate himself from the criminal life, doing what he can to still be a good son and brother. Soulaymaan's story is how the film injects its larger themes as he spends the film preparing for a law school debate on whether the French state is responsible for the levels of crime in the French suburbs. While Soulaymaan initially sees it as an opportunity to romance his debate partner Lisa, new revelations and developments with his brother Demba, Noumouké's own criminality, his own experiences of racism and police stigma have his intentions become more focused.
Street Flow appears to be building towards some confrontation either between Demba and Soulaymaan over Noumouké's future in the wake of their younger brother robbing a drug dealer or the two working together to protect their brother from violent retaliation. Oddly enough this is where the one sliver of originality in the film comes through and offers a theological climax rather than an action-orientated one, unlike its obvious inspirations. With Dembe seemingly provoking a violent criminal to protect Noumouké and assert his authority in the criminal underworld and Soulaymaan becoming more hardened because of these experiences, the film then spends a good portion depicting the law debate rather than a continuation of the criminal storylines. The debate scene is well written and well-performed with Diangana delivering his best scenes in the film but it feels so out of place with the rest of the film. Directors Leïla Sy and Kery James seemingly hit the brakes on their own narrative just to have the thematic relevance be laid out for the audience. It's an interesting development for Soulaymaan's character to become more aggressive and anti-establishment in contrast to how he started but at the expense of Demba and Noumouké's stories.
When the debate is finished, the film tacks on quick conclusions to the criminal storyline in an attempt to have the very themes of the debate playout before the characters in a disappointing conclusion. With all of its strengths Street Flow is a disappointment for not taking its story in a new, exciting direction but still has something to offer through the quality of its performances. The actors make their characters and their world feel real and lived in, the film doesn't come across as a cautionary tale but a hard look at a reality that can't be ignored. In the moments where its originality can be seen, Street Flow does provide solid character development and storytelling but can't maintain it due to obvious weaknesses in the script.
Director: #LeïlaSy and #KeryJames
Release Date: October 12th 2019
Available exclusively on Netflix
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from Netflix
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