Tori and Lokita

Tori and Lokita (French: Tori et Lokita), is a 2022 Belgian-French drama film written, directed and produced by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.[3] The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on 24 May 2022, where it competed for the Palme d'Or[4] and won the festival's special 75th Anniversary Award.[5]

Tori and Lokita
Release poster
FrenchTori et Lokita
Directed byLuc Dardenne
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Written byLuc Dardenne
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Produced by
  • Luc Dardenne
  • Jean-Pierre Dardenne
  • Delphine Tomson
Starring
  • Pablo Schils
  • Mbundu Joely
CinematographyBenoît Dervaux
Edited byMarie-Hélène Dozo
Production
company
Distributed by
  • Cinéart (Belgium)[1]
  • Diaphana Distribution (France)[1]
Release dates
  • 24 May 2022 (2022-05-24) (Cannes)
  • 7 September 2022 (2022-09-07) (Belgium)
  • 5 October 2022 (2022-10-05) (France)
Running time
88 minutes
Countries
LanguageFrench[1]
Box office$636,570[2]

Plot

Two African immigrants, eleven-year-old Tori and sixteen-year-old Lokita, live by their wits in a Belgian city, posing as brother and sister.

The two hang out at the restaurant of Betim, a man who uses his business to cover up a drug ring they courier, and sometimes pays Lokita for sexual favors. Lokita is trying to obtain a work visa with which she could support her and Tori, but she also has to deal with the debt contracted with the people who brought her to Belgium, and think about the mother and five brothers she left behind in Cameroon.

When Lokita's papers are rejected again, she accepts Betim's offer to go to work for a while, locked up in a hangar tending cannabis plantations. But she has to be separated from Tori, without even being able to call him, which is unbearable for both of them.

Tori hides in Betim's car to find out where Lokita is, then he manages to find a way into the hangar. But on his second visit, they are both discovered by Betim. They flee, followed by Betim and his aide Luckas, who kills Lokita with two gunshots to the head, but cannot find Tori, who has remained hidden in the bushes.

The film ends with Lokita's funeral.

Cast
  • Pablo Schils as Tori
  • Mbundu Joely as Lokita
  • Charlotte De Bruyne as Margot
  • Tijmen Govaerts as Luckas
  • Alban Ukaj as Betim
  • Marc Zinga as Firmin

Reception

Tori and Lokita received generally positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 90% based on 48 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus states: "Another humanistic gem from the Dardennes, Tori and Lokita puts its characters in heartbreaking circumstances while insisting on their intrinsic dignity."[6] Metacritic gave the film a rating of 75/100, based on 13 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]

AlloCiné, a French cinema website, gave the film an average rating of 3.5/5, based on a survey of 31 French reviews.[8]

Release

Tori and Lokita was the closing film of the 46th Hong Kong International Film Festival, where it was screened on 31 August 2022.[9]

The film was released in theaters in Belgium on 7 September 2022 by Cinéart,[1] and in France on 5 October 2022 by Diaphana Distribution.[10]

In June 2022, Sideshow and Janus Films acquired North American distribution rights for the film.[11]

Awards and nominations
Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 28 May 2022 Palme d'Or Nominated [12]
Special 75th Anniversary Award Won
Magritte Awards 4 March 2023 Best Film Nominated [13]
Best Director Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Tijmen Govaerts Nominated
Most Promising Actor Pablo Schils Nominated
Most Promising Actress Joely Mbundu Nominated

References
  1. "Tori and Lokita". UniFrance. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  2. "Tori and Lokita". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  3. Pearce, Leonard (2 February 2021). "Dardenne Brothers' New Film Tori et Lokita Announced; Ryūsuke Hamaguchi to Adapt Murakami". The Film Stage. The Film Stage L.L.C. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  4. "Tori et Lokita". Festival de Cannes. Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  5. "The 75th Festival de Cannes winners' list". festival-cannes.com. 28 May 2022.
  6. "Tori and Lokita". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. "Tori and Lokita Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  8. "Critiques presse pour le film Tori et Lokita". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  9. "46th Hong Kong International Film Festival – Programme 2022". Asian Festivals. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  10. "Tori et Lokita". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  11. "Dardennes' Cannes Competition entry 'Tori And Lokita' lands North American deal". Screen International. 2 June 2022.
  12. "The films of the Official Selection 2022 - Festival de Cannes". festival-cannes.com. 14 April 2022.
  13. Bradfer, Fabienne (10 February 2023). "Close arrive en tête des nominations des Magritte 2023". Le Soir (in French). Retrieved 28 February 2023.
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