Soleymane’s Story Christian review

Soleymane’s Story (2024) — No, no one speaks in this film. No one shouts. It just comes and sits quietly next to you. Like someone is in pain, and he doesn’t want to say anything—he just wants to hold your hand and say, “I am also in pain.”

Everything happens slowly in this. There is grief, but in the middle of that grief, there is a thin thread of hope… the film just keeps moving, holding on to that. And if you are watching this with your heart, with your faith filled eyes, then it doesn’t seem like you are watching a movie. It seems like you are listening to a testimony. As if some grace has stood before you like a chalk – no drama, no background score. Just a silence that pierces the heart straight away… but with love.

The film is set in West Africa. The place is completely broken. But the story searches for some light, in the midst of that same brokenness. Solemnly is not a superhero. Neither has he accomplished anything great. He just wins – falls, gets up… but never breaks from within. There is an innocence inside him that doesn’t seem fake at all. It seems so natural that sometimes it seems that maybe he has chosen faith long ago. He doesn’t take names, but trusts. Like a small child who doesn’t ask for anything, but just accepts.

The rules of morality are different here. This film doesn’t teach you the syllabus of good and bad. It takes you to those moments where nothing is clear. Everything is blurred. Where the world is piercing someone from inside, and there a sketch of his real character is being made – very slowly.

And the most beautiful thing is that it doesn’t glamorize pain. But it also doesn’t ignore it. There is dignity in every character. Be it a grandmother or a schoolteacher. They don’t say anything special, but their presence beyond the screen leaves a weight behind them, as if someone has lived Christ-like grace without the spotlight.

Religious imagery is not shown, but spirituality is present in every scene. You may not hear the words of the Bible, but you can feel them. Galatians 6:2, which says “Bear one another’s burdens,” is not said literally, but it is alive in every frame. When people help just because nothing else is left—that’s sacred. It doesn’t show the pain, it has won the pain.

It’s family-friendly, technically. There’s no vulgarity. But there’s emotional depth, and that’s a little too much for the little ones. But if someone ever asks you this question—“Why does God remain silent when everything is painful?”—then this film won’t give any answer. It will just sit with them. As if you’ve found a companion in the dark.

There are role models—and they aren’t perfect, that’s why they look real. Soleiman’s innocence does not seem foolish. He sees, feels, and understands. Aid workers, school teachers, simple dads… in all of them there is that glow which does not quote, but just lives. Like “You are the light of the world” – this line is not spoken, but every human being lives by it.

Bible verses are not quoted, but their spirit is everywhere. Justice, mercy, redemption – all these are not spoken, but are shown and explained. The film does not tell you that God will solve your problems. It just tells you this – sometimes he just sits with you. And sometimes… that is enough.

The movie ends, but it doesn’t leave. It stays with you. It doesn’t ask you, it doesn’t ask you anything… it just leaves a silent question—“Am I carrying someone’s burden? Is someone carrying me?”

Perhaps this is its real message. That an act of love that seems small in the eyes of the world—which may not even be seen by anyone—can be the biggest miracle. Not loud. Not flashy at all. Just keep that in your eyes, somewhere quietly, Grace is still breathing.