Synopsis
Belorussian ex-con Aleksei arrives in Poland with his buddy Mikhail (Michal Balicki) on a tourist visa, supposedly to see a football match. Their aim is to reach France, so at the first chance they get, they hitch a lift to Paris from a friendly truck driver. With no papers, and limited French, Aleksei joins the Foreign Legion which gives him a residence permit and a promise of French citizenship in five years.
On his first mission Aleksei (now Alex) is sent to rescue French hostages taken by MEND, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta where oil extraction is destroying the jungle habitat. Jomo (Morr Ndiaye) the charismatic leader of MEND is the disco boy - asked what he would like to become if he was born “on the other side among the whites”, he replies “I’d be a dancer - a Disco Boy”. Their paths intersect when Alex is involved in a terrifying sortie - a brilliantly filmed set-piece. The impact of this hallucinatory fire-fight is profound as Alex breaks down, his disillusionment and guilt weighing heavily on him. Udoka (Laetitia Ky) Jomo’s sister, their tribe’s spiritual dancer, is the film’s third main character and, on Alex’s return to Paris, he encounters her by chance at a disco. Dance is the thread that ties the three of them together; their universal connection. Could it hold the possibility of redemption for Alex, yet to find his identity and place in the world?
This is bold, creative film-making. A magnetic lead performance by Franz Rogowski (Passages, Great Freedom), the luminous cinematography and pulsating electronic dance music all come together to make Disco Boy a striking film experience. Be prepared not to understand every moment. The final sequences may be just the distorted reality of a traumatised man and a Utopian vision but, “It’s quite a trip.” - Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
Additional Info
Location
Cheltenham Film Society, Bacon Theatre, Hatherley Rd, Cheltenham, GL51 6EP
