# Restless City

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***Restless City*** is a 2011 [independent](/source/Independent_film) [drama](/source/Drama_(film_and_television)) film written by Eugene M. Gussenhoven and directed by [Andrew Dosunmu](/source/Andrew_Dosunmu). It stars Sy Alassane, Sky Nicole Grey, [Tony Okungbowa](/source/Tony_Okungbowa), [Stephen Tyrone Williams](/source/Stephen_Tyrone_Williams), and [Danai Gurira](/source/Danai_Gurira).[1] The film premiered on January 23, 2011, at the [2011 Sundance Film Festival](/source/2011_Sundance_Film_Festival) and received a limited release in the United States on April 27, 2012.[2]

## Plot

Djibril, a young [Senegalese](/source/Senegalese) [immigrant](/source/Immigration), has been trying to make a life for himself in the streets of [Harlem](/source/Harlem) in [New York](/source/New_York_City). An aspiring musician, he hopes to one day score a [record deal](/source/Recording_contract), but after four years in the United States he still scrapes together a living by selling [CDs](/source/CD) on the street and taking on gigs as a [courier](/source/Courier) with the help of his [moped](/source/Moped). To raise enough money to make an album, Djibril agrees to work for Bekay, a [pimp](/source/Procuring_(prostitution)) and loan shark. Djilbri's mission to fulfill his dream is interrupted when he meets Trini, a prostitute who works for Bekay. Djibril risks everything to save Trini from her squalid life.

## Reception

[3]

In a positive review, [Wesley Morris](/source/Wesley_Morris) of *[The Boston Globe](/source/The_Boston_Globe)* wrote, "'Restless City' is tumescent with atmosphere", and "there’s a dreamy immediacy to life in [Dosunmu’s] Harlem as opposed to the drugginess of life" of other films.[4] Ernest Hardy of *[The Village Voice](/source/The_Village_Voice)* said, "Told in an elliptical style with a pacing and jagged rhythms that take some getting used to, the thrust and power of the film lies in its poetic imagery, in the way Dosunmu and cinematographer Bradford Young use light and composition to make almost every frame (breathtaking profiles; close-ups on faces and feet; slo-mo moped rides down city streets) stunning. The cumulative effect of their visual handiwork brings an unexpected impact when tragedy finally strikes."[5]

## References

1. Anderson, John (February 1, 2011). ["Review: 'Restless City'"](https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/restless-city-1117944471/). *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*

1. ["Restless City"](http://www.affrm.com/restless-city/). *[AFFRM](/source/AFFRM)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120613182948/http://www.affrm.com/restless-city/) June 13, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 April 2023.

1. ["Restless City"](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/restless_city). *[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)*. Retrieved 26 April 2023.

1. Morris, Wesley (August 17, 2012). ["'Restless City' is a Harlem with dreamy, vivid backdrop"](https://www.boston.com/ae/movies/2012/08/16/movie-review-restless-city-wesley-morris/g7FyqMW9yYU83zf0ieERJK/story.html). *[The Boston Globe](/source/The_Boston_Globe)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120820103002/https://www.boston.com/ae/movies/2012/08/16/movie-review-restless-city-wesley-morris/g7FyqMW9yYU83zf0ieERJK/story.html) August 20, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 April 2023.

1. Hardy, Ernest (April 25, 2012). ["Restless City"](https://www.villagevoice.com/2012-04-25/film/restless-city-film-review/). *[The Village Voice](/source/The_Village_Voice)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120501070101/https://www.villagevoice.com/2012-04-25/film/restless-city-film-review/) May 1, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 April 2023.

## External links

- [Official website](https://web.archive.org/web/20120613182948/http://www.affrm.com/restless-city/)
- [Restless City](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1545464/) at IMDb

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Restless City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restless_City) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restless_City?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.