Teenage Aya grew up on the island of Lahou in southern Côte d'Ivoire. Joyful and carefree, she likes picking coconuts and sleeping on the sand. However, her paradise is doomed to disappear under water. When the waves threaten her home, she decides that even if sea levels continue to rise, she will not leave her island. However, she has to mature to the point that saying goodbye to the world of her childhood will prove to be particularly difficult, because it is painfully literal. The full-length debut by Simon Coulibaly Gillard was shot with modest means, a fact completely invisible in the film, which delights with beautiful images. By combining the frankness of the documentary with the power of a coming-of-age film, the director creates a portrait of a departing world.

Michał Matuszewski