We almost never see sequels to thoughtful character dramas, but Street Flow 2 (now on Netflix) is a welcome exception. Its 2019 predecessor must have enjoyed significant enough viewership for Netflix to greenlight a sequel, which is once again written by, starring and co-directed by hip-hop-artist-turned-filmmaker Kery James. (Leila Sy once again shares directing credit with him.) He picks up where the last film left off, continuing the story of three brothers in a Parisian housing project who contend with violence in their day-to-day lives.
The Gist: Street Flow 2 quickly recaps how the previous movie ended: Demba (James), the eldest Traore brother and a career drug dealer, was shot and hospitalized in a coma. Enraged middle brother Soulaymaan (Jammeh Diangana), a law student who previously avoided the gang-related trouble that plagued his brothers, broke character and exacted revenge against the shooter. Youngest brother Noumouke (Bakary Diombera) took the blame for Soulaymaan’s actions, essentially saving his life and career. Now, we see Demba awaken and regain his strength during physical therapy sessions. Soulaymann lands a job at a respectable law firm. And Noumouke goes to prison to serve six months, struggling through long nights – and beatings.
Two years pass. Demba’s gone legit via an apparently lucrative gig selling and installing insulation – and he’s suffering from PTSD-related anxiety attacks. Soulaymann is an associate at the firm, and when he expresses his frustration with shuffling paperwork, he gets a shot at representing a client in court. Noumouke is back in high school, where he shows no interest in studying Baudelaire, and, smack in the middle of class, he gets in a fight with a rival; Soulaymann somehow manages to convince the principal not to expel his brother, and it’s maybe the least he can do since Noumouke took the fall for him. They still gather at their beloved mother Khadijah’s (Kani Diarra) dinner table, where they talk and joke and laugh with each other, as ever – and as violence erupts in the courtyard outside, as ever. Some of the perpetrators of the brawl are Noumouke’s friends, but Demba stops him from going down and joining them.
Although the Traores seem to be generally on the straight-and-narrow, nothing’s ever easy. Demba lands a big contract at work, but hasn’t escaped the sphere of his former drug-dealing partners and rivals (say it with me: Just when he thought he was out, they pull him back in) – and from cops, who keep a sharp eye on him. Soulaymann successfully gets a man accused of domestic violence sprung on a technicality, a dubious win for him. And Noumouke just can’t shake the grudge he carries for that jerk in class, and their friend groups – I don’t want to call them gangs, but it feels accurate – are ripe and ready to clash in the courtyard. Every path for these men seems treacherous and uncertain. Will they be able to move forward peacefully? Hard to tell.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: This as good a place as any to note that there’s no noticeable dropoff from original to sequel, which are equally effectively authentic in tone and style. (And if you want an extraordinary story of rebellion in a similar Parisian project, I urge you to watch Netflix’s Athena, which feels oh so grossly underappreciated.)
Performance Worth Watching: The sequel shifts its emphasis from Soulaymann to Demba, and James ably bears the brunt of the dramatic weight here.
Memorable Dialogue: Demba solidifies the film’s underlying theme: “With violence, you decide when to start using it, but you don’t choose when it ends.”
Sex and Skin: None.
Our Take: It’s hard to get too excited about Street Flow 2, but it’s just as difficult to be overly critical of it. James’ writing, direction and performance are rock-solid, rooted in the hard truths of life in a grossly undervalued suburban housing project. The story of the Traore brothers is calculated to represent a cross-section of opportunity in the setting: A criminal trying to reform, the straight-and-narrow brother making the most of his intelligence and education and the teenager figuring out who sets the best example. The premise may be contrived, but it’s nonetheless involving, and James shows some modestly potent dramatic intent with this story.
The film differs from the predecessor significantly in the third act, when James directs his sons-of-immigrants characters to their native Mali to quite literally put their hands in the soil of their homeland. This section features the film’s best moments visually and dramatically, and they’re understated and poignant. They’re offset somewhat by the events that follow their return to Paris, which feel comparatively rote and artificial, and possibly unnecessary. But Street Flow 2 is nonetheless clear in its portrayal of paths to and from violence and redemption, and how they intersect.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Street Flow 2 builds upon the strengths of its predecessor’s steady-as-she-goes drama.
John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.