Black Girl

Diouana arrives in France to work as a domestic servant for a wealthy couple. She is overwhelmed by endless chores and rigid routines, and she struggles to understand her role in the household. She longs for freedom and the outdoors, a world very different from her life back home.

She comes from a poor village outside Dakar where most people are illiterate. She spends her days roaming the city in search of work and a chance to improve her situation. The flashbacks show a hopeful yet stark life far from the comforts she is promised abroad.

In the square of Dakar, Madame hires Diouana, choosing her because she does not crowd forward demanding a job. Diouana gifts Madame a traditional mask, which they display in the home. This moment marks the start of a relationship that will tie her to the family.

Back in Senegal, Diouana works for the family as a caregiver for their children and spends time walking with her boyfriend when she has free moments. The city life hints at broader possibilities, yet her daily routine remains limited. The job offers seem to promise a brighter future, but uncertainty lingers.

Monsieur and Madame offer Diouana a job in France, and she is thrilled by the prospect of a new life abroad. She imagines greater freedom and opportunities, eagerly accepting the chance to relocate. The dream of France becomes a driving force behind her decision.

Diouana arrives to find a demanding regime of cooking and cleaning with little chance to go out. Madame treats her coldly, and Diouana struggles to understand why she cannot explore the city as she hoped. The apartment becomes a prison where her days are spent performing domestic labor.

While she works, Diouana wears a fancy dress and heels, only to be told to remove them and remember her status as a maid. The demand underscores the power imbalance and the demeaning expectations placed on her. This moment crystallizes the rupture between her dreams and the reality of servitude.

At a dinner party, a friend kisses Diouana on the cheek, justifying it as European custom. He adds that he's never kissed a black girl before, highlighting the racial distance she feels. The moment deepens her sense of isolation within the social circle of the house.

Diouana receives a letter from her mother, read aloud by Monsieur, asking why she has heard nothing and requesting money. Diouana tears up the letter, rejecting contact with her past and the human ties left behind. The act intensifies the emotional gulf between her two lives.

Madame bans Diouana from sleeping in past breakfast and demands immediate work. Diouana tries to reclaim the mask she gave to Madame, leading to a struggle that reveals the fragility of her situation. Madame insists that if she does not work, she cannot eat.

Overwhelmed by oppression, Diouana refuses to accept the money offered for her work. She slips into the bathroom where she slits her throat, ending her life in a moment of tragic despair. The act marks the film’s devastating culmination of isolation and control.

Monsieur travels to Senegal to return Diouana's suitcase, mask, and money to her family. He offers money to Diouana's mother, but she refuses, choosing dignity over wealth. The gesture closes the domestic tragedy by returning remnants of Diouana to her homeland.

As Monsieur leaves the village, the little boy who once wore the mask runs after him, his presence a haunting echo of Diouana's story. The ending lingers on the cultural artifacts and memories that persist beyond the immediate events. The film closes with a quiet reflection on identity, power, and loss.