Nous (We)

Director: Alice Diop

2021 / 115min / DCP

A Malian mechanic; the filmmaker’s sister, a healthcare worker; the acclaimed author Pierre Bergounioux; banlieue teenagers playing Uno… What ties the disparate subjects of Diop’s film together is, in one sense, geographical happenstance—they all live in proximity to the RER B line that runs northeast to southwest—but in following the contours of the commuter train, she gives a panoramic view of another Paris, far from postcard views of the 16 arrondissements.

“The people who ride the RER B, a commuter line that connects Paris to its outer periphery, are those who are least visible in the city, the largely Black and immigrant auto mechanics, cleaners, and care workers who depart early and return late. For Diop, they are her neighbors, her family, and more: the ‘we’ of the film’s title placed in the center of her tender city symphony.” —Series curator Genevieve Yue

Distributor: Totem Films

Part of Trains: Local Routes