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Souleymane's Story

Play trailer 1:37 Poster for Souleymane's Story Now Playing 1h 32m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 46 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
As he pedals through the streets of Paris to deliver meals, Souleymane repeats his story. In two days, he has to go through his asylum application interview, the key to obtaining papers. But Souleymane is not ready.
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Critics Consensus

Achingly human in its depiction of immigrant struggles, Souleymane's Story asks us to witness, understand, and grant empathy to all.

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Critics Reviews

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Justin Chang The New Yorker Lojkine’s film, for all its blunt force, also has fleeting instances of relief, and it presents them, for the most part, with a wise lack of inflection or emphasis. Aug 7, 2025 Full Review Keith Phipps The Reveal (Substack) The film makes it impossible for us to see him as just another name on a list for the government to place a “yes” or a “no” next to. Whether his undeniable humanity will have an effect on his fate is another question entirely, however. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 31, 2025 Full Review Natalia Winkelman New York Times Boris Lojkine’s “Souleymane’s Story,” an affecting film about struggle set over two days in Paris, is the rare character study that does not only build empathy with its hero’s pain but channels its sensation. Jul 31, 2025 Full Review KT Mahe For Your Reference Podcast Abou Sangaré has an effortless charm that draws the audience into the complex reality and world of Souleymane. A sweet and frustrating days in the life that scratched the surface but could have delved a little deeper. Rated: 4/5 Aug 10, 2025 Full Review Colton Peregoy MovieJawn With Souleymane’s Story, Lojkine sidesteps traditional portrayals of Paris to create something grittier, graver, and ultimately more reflective of the city’s real social issues. Aug 9, 2025 Full Review Andrew Parker The Gate Souleymane’s Story hits hard because it lives from moment to moment and tells a story that could easily be unfolding anywhere in the world right now. Rated: 9/10 Aug 8, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robin C “Souleymane’s Story” Souleymane (Abou Sangare) is a bicycle delivery man running the roads of Paris at night. He has just two days before his all-important security interview to see if he can gain legal residency in France. But, he needs a plausible story and, more important, money to live his dream in “Souleymane’s Story.” Director, and co-writer with Delphine Agut, Boris Loikine brings us a slice of immigrant life as the title character works long hours, trying to save money even while sending cash home to his mother. He is being coached, for his immigration interview, by an entrepreneur named Barry (Alpha Oumar (Sow) who keeps demanding money for the documents Souleymane needs. Then, there is his job. Since he does not have documentation admitting him into France, he has to pay to use another’s immigrant work ID. And, even the slightest infraction with a delivery can result in refusal to get paid and the chance of exposure and deportation. Abou Sangare shoulders the burden of his character convincingly in what is essentially a one-man show. There is a sense of quiet desperation for Souleymane as he copes with all of the above and the demands put upon him by his family left behind in Guinea. During all of this, with his time spent eking out a living, he has the interview looming hard over him. You can feel how Souleymane feels in a palpable way as he evokes sympathy to his plight. We have an in-depth look at an immigration system that grows more and more distant from our own current medieval methods every day. At least for Souleymane there is some hope, in the guise of the lady immigration officer, who sees through his ill-prepared “story” and his real story comes out. This is a modern tale of hard work, despair, helplessness and hope. Souleymane gets to you with his honesty and trying to do the right thing, even while working on the fringes of illegality and possible deportation. But maybe, just maybe, the system will do the right thing for the young man. My fingers are crossed for him. B Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/03/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 1 hour and 32 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dubbed and subtitled in worldwide studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $19,200.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/08/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis As he pedals through the streets of Paris to deliver meals, Souleymane repeats his story. In two days, he has to go through his asylum application interview, the key to obtaining papers. But Souleymane is not ready.
Director
Boris Lojkine
Producer
Bruno Nahon
Screenwriter
Boris Lojkine, Delphine Agut
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Production Co
Unité
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 1, 2025, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA)
$19.2K
Runtime
1h 32m
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