La Mort de Danton

Steve dreams of becoming an actor. Born in Cameroon and now living in the cité des 3000 neighbourhood of Aulnay-sous-Bois, just outside Paris, he decides to join the Cours Simon drama school in the capital, alongside his work in the suburbs. Fearing ridicule and bemusement from his friends, he opts to keep his ambitions secret. The imposing young man intimidates and even frightens his fellow students, much to his chagrin. Repeatedly reminded of his skin colour and unable to escape the narrow confines of stereotypical black male roles, the aspiring actor struggles to find a place in this deeply ostracising environment. Steve doubts, hesitates and wavers in the face of the centrifugal force that relentlessly seeks to drive him away from the theatres and back to the suburbs. Alice Diop methodically deconstructs this process, offering a portrait that powerfully merges the personal with the political. She underscores the racial biases that punctuate Steve's journey, stamping her own analytical viewpoint on the film’s trajectory. Her intimate portrait actively engages its protagonist and ends by offering him the role of his dreams: that of the revolutionary, Georges Danton.
Bastien Bento

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