Paradise is a cinematic odyssey spanning two distant countries. Directed by Jérémy Comte and co-written by Will Niava, this debut feature interrogates the seduction of deception while celebrating the stubborn, unquenchable beauty of human life. The film confronts the shadowed world of scams and street crime, yet both directors remain committed to portraying the vibrancy, warmth, and complexity of Ghana beyond its moral perils, showing a maturity of vision.

Set across two seemingly disparate worlds: Accra, Ghana, and a quiet Quebecois town, the film explores the interconnected lives of two families bound by absence and longing. In Ghana, we follow Kojo (Daniel Atsu Hukporti Adjorble), a teenager whose life is abruptly transformed when his father, a fisherman, vanishes in a storm. Bereft, burdened, and desperate for survival, Kojo is pulled into the seductive gravity of street gangs and the shadowed economy of scams.

Comte and Niava treat this world with nuance and respect: the film does not depict Kojo’s moral descent as a display for Western voyeurism but as an intimate excavation of how poverty, absence, and societal structures can compel one toward survival strategies fraught with risk and ethical ambiguity. The scams and street dealings, though morally fraught, are rendered with painstaking detail and journalistic rigor – drawn from extensive research, conversations, and firsthand accounts of those living these realities. Through Kojo, we witness the human cost of deception, not just in the monetary sense, but in the way it erodes trust, fractures communities, and leaves traces of tragedy that ripple far beyond the immediate actors.

Yet to reduce Paradise to a story about crime would be to misread it entirely. Ghana, in Comte’s lens, is luminous. The Harmattan winds give the sky a distinct golden haze, and the streets of Accra are filled with life and colour. We see children racing through sunlit alleys, fishermen fishing, singing, and markets humming with vitality – moments that remind the viewer that the world of scams exists alongside, not instead of, the profound beauty of everyday life.

Olivier Gossot’s cinematography captures these two worlds exquisitely, moving fluidly between the oppressive intimacy of Kojo’s struggles and the sweeping, almost painterly vistas of Ghana. Water and fire recur as both symbolic and literal elements, linking Ghana to Quebec. Every frame, from the sunbaked streets to the Atlantic where Kojo’s father disappeared, is beautifully composed, showing how the environment shapes and reflects human experience.

In Quebec, the narrative finds a counterpoint in Tony (Joey Boivin-Desmeules), a sensitive yet rebellious teenager grappling with the absence of a different kind: the absence of a father he has never known. His mother, Chantal, becomes a conduit to the enigmatic cargo ship captain whose presence is felt more than seen, creating a mystery that reflects Kojo’s own search for paternal guidance and stability. Here, Comte’s framing contrasts sharply with Ghana: the autumnal tones and small-town quietude emphasise Tony’s internal turbulence against an orderly world. Both boys’ journeys – Kojo’s through crime and survival, Tony’s through suspicion and curiosity – intertwine to reveal universal themes of longing and the human tendency to construct illusions to soothe absence.

Divided into three distinct tonal arcs – mystery, drama, and thriller – the film balances pacing, suspense, and character development wonderfully. The editing, overseen by Comte himself, allows for a flow between continents, cultures, and emotional registers, creating a rhythm in which tension and empathy rise and fall with narrative inevitability.

The performances, particularly from the young non-professional actors, show the film’s painstaking preparation and collaborative ethos. Daniel, as Kojo, shines with charisma; his growth is thrilling and tragic, a study in adaptivity and vulnerability. Joey Boivin-Desmeules as Tony brings a confident exterior masking inner turmoil, his journey of unmasking delicate and riveting. Comte’s decision to work closely with his actors, integrating improvisation, location exploration, and real-world influences, results in dialogue and behaviour that is simply authentic.

Ultimately, Paradise explores how people cling to belief in deception, how tragedy ripples across lives, and the fragile beauty of existence under moral strain. Ghana is more than a backdrop; it’s vibrant and complex at the same time. In the end, Paradise is a study of ethics and empathy, of tragedy and beauty, and of how two distant worlds are inexorably linked through loss and the persistent gravity of love. It is a debut feature that is intelligent and morally engaged.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Constellation Productions

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.}