Akaboum
This is the story of a gang of teenage boys from the north-western part of Paris. We follow them in their wanderings, from the suburb of Cergy to that of Marne-la-Vallée. Somewhere between documentary and fiction, we are plunged into the superimposed worlds of the gangs' experiences and fantasies—a portrait of contemporary suburban youth seeking to invent a new collective identity against the backdrop of France in the throes of recession.
“According to its credits, Akaboum, the multi-awarded short film by Manon Vila, was created in participation with the YGRK club. Many friends from Cergy-Pontoise, a new town built in the 80s and riddled with architectural follies, live their daily lives with odd jobs and buddies squatting indefinitely at their homes. The director proposes a game in her set-up: to compose a film through their eyes that would displace the established order, whether architectural or simply normative. The young protagonists play out their lives in a territory that the film skillfully reframes. Landmarks are blurred: this place might as well be in Asia or the Middle East. Names become fantastical, and if you look closely, buildings start to move. The YGRK club then sets out to escape the monotony of these spaces—headed for parties, early-morning afters, and more magical places, which they have created from scratch thanks to their creative energy.” — Aurélien Marsais
Akaboum was chosen by Aurélien Marsais, who worked as a programming assistant at Cinéma du Réel in Paris and participated in creating the platform ParisDoc in 2015. He coordinated États généraux du film documentaire in Lussas until 2017, and still contributes to the Expériences du Regard and Docmonde selections. Marsais is currently a Visions du Réel selection committee member, programmes for the online documentary platform Tënk.fr, and produces films in Switzerland.
Symen and Sam pass their time in the monotony of a post-industrial suburb. They seem to linger in a kind of perpetual twilight countered by the invisible presence of ‘hardcore’. While gaming, they end up searching for the core of their desires.