TORI AND LOKITA
Belgium, 2022, 88 minutes, Colour.
Pablo Schils, Joely Mbundu, Alban Ukaj.
Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne.
Since the late 1970s, the Belgian brothers, Dardenne, have been making significant social-minded films, appeals for justice, greater social awareness. An interesting comparison with the films are those of Britain’s Ken Loach.
The films tend to be small and focused, Belgian, Belgian society, and changes over the decades. By the 2020s, the brothers are focused on migrants, refugees, visas and papers, illegal migrants.
The names and the title belong to refugees from Morocco. The focus is on Lokita, late teenage, being interviewed for her papers, a made up story with the help of the younger Tori, that he is her brother, was associated with sorcery at his birth, taken from family, at an orphanage, now in Belgium. She fails the interview.
The audience is surprised to find that the two youngsters are involved with drug dealing, couriers for the owner of a kitchen, a number of associate thugs who are brutal and violent, rival dealers, even amongst the migrants from Africa.
The film is very sympathetic, the portrait of the two youngsters, their relationship, friendship love and dependence. It shows in some detail, their work in dealing, the clients, the financial issues. Ultimately, Lokita is given the opportunity to hide, to get falls papers, to be a caretaker for an indoor hothouse growing drugs.
The film builds up to a dramatic conclusion, the two youngsters, an attempt to escape – and the reminder that there is very little possibility for escape.
- Topical social drama, Africa, Europe? Refugees, visas, work and survival, exploitation?
- The Belgian setting, the Belgian city, interviews and the authorities, kitchens and restaurants, drug dealing, the range of clients, in the streets, buildings, the cultivation of the drugs, side hothouse, the countryside? The musical score?
- The focus on Lokita, her age, the interrogation for papers, a story about rescuing Tori, his coaching her, the questions and answers, the range of interviews, her ultimately failing? Her accommodation? The bond with Tori, his being at school? Tori, his age, his background story, associated with sorcery, taken from his parents, at the orphanage? His presence in Belgium? His papers? Lokita and her coming from Morocco, getting money to send to her mother, these for the children to go to school?
- The world of drug dealing, young people and their being used, the main dealer, Betim, his work in the kitchen, the drugs, the range of clients, his treatment of the youngsters, payments, the focaccia, his associates, Margot and Lucas, the pressure on the children? The rival dealers? Firmin and the African connections?
- The scenes of the dealing, the meetings, the money, the phone calls, payment? The attack on Lokita, Margot and the pressure, finding the money? The threats?
- The decision for Lokita to live in the warehouse, her room, the setup, locked in, the in-house growing of the plants, her work? Her wanting to phone Tori? The arguments?
- Tori, shrewd, in the car, finding the warehouse, getting in, contact with Lokita, the phone, the threats, the decision to escape, out of the building, onto the road, hitchhiking, Tori hiding, Lucas and his finding Lokita, the pursuit, his shooting her?
- The end, the exploitation of the people from Africa, a challenge to the conscience of Europe?
