Arlit: The Second Paris (2005) User Reviews

Eyeopening documentary about the lives and hopes of African people connected to an uranium mine in Niger

[daniel-unsoeld · 7/10 · 15 February 2007]

The movie looks into the lives and hopes of the people that have stranded in the small town of Arlit in Niger, West Afica. It not only explores the scandalous working conditions in a local uranium mine and the suffering it brings to the people who are not being informed about the danger of the work. The movie works in more directions: Through researching the changing fate of the city, the movie manages to connect to the global policy situation, as demand for uranium is connected to the global arms race. And most important, through giving the people of Arlit space, the movie lets the viewer see a glimpse of the dreams and visions, but also of the limited choices the people can make in this desperate part of the world. This sounds like and is tough stuff, but it doesn't mean there is nothing to laugh in this movie!

beautiful desolation, quiet tragedy

[yepmatt · 10/10 · 23 March 2008]

This well-made documentary remains fairly neutral on its subject, while allowing denizens of Arlit, Niger to tell their own stories. A post-boomtown in a uranium-rich region, the film shows how places change over time, and the human toll involved in these changes. While capturing the beauty of desert isolation and the resigned discomfort of continual ennui, the consequences of exploitation and colonialism are also vividly illuminated. There are amazing, subtle moments captured in this documentary, and the tone never becomes preachy or overly emotional. It's a fascinating study in economics, legal and illegal immigration, and sociology. The horror of desperation, of fatal illness, of disillusionment, juxtaposes with the compelling loveliness of decay, post-apocalypse, survival, and a compassionate sense of humanity despite the rise and fall of this "second Paris." Arlit, 2nd Paris feels at times like a transmission from some burnt-out future, a report sent back from a scrap heap desert planet. The sad thing is that it's probably only one of a disturbing many places that have experienced the boom-bust cycle.