A rapturously beautiful slow burning film. The final scene, where the motorcycles glide along roads, fading into memory with the distant echo of a roar is probably the best sequence of filmmaking at this year’s Locarno Film Festival.
Cinemas
EN
Directed by Maxime Jean-Baptiste
Listen to the Voices
Kouté Vwa
An atmospheric, grounded drama.
Drama
Music
2025
1h 17m
Melrick is an unruly young boy who spends his summer in French Guiana at his grandmother's house to escape his turbulent daily life in Stains, France. At the end of his stay, he plays the drum to revive the memory of his late uncle, Lucas Diomar, who died in tragic circumstances. Despite a wave of murders of young men shaking the headlines, Melrick becomes aware of his place in a family destroyed by irreparable grief.
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Cast & crew
4What people say
the beat of the heart and the beat of the drum are one and the same. i was completely and utterly blown away by kouté vwa, which i connected to on a deeply personal level. i feel moved, but not in some abstract sense: i feel reconfigured, rearranged, heart and lungs thrown open. essential.
Putain j’aime vraiment trop les documentaires en faitLa séquence moto tellement magnifique (à peine elle était finie que j’avais déjà envie de la revoir), la discussion dans la voiture entre Melrick et sa grand-mère, la nature guyanaise teintée de bleu et Yannick, les séquences tambour et musique… tellement touchant. <3
Common questions
What is Listen to the Voices about?+
A young boy spends his summer in French Guiana and confronts a family tragedy through drumming and memory.
Who directed Listen to the Voices?+
Maxime Jean-Baptiste directed the 2025 docufiction film exploring grief and family trauma.
Has Listen to the Voices won any awards?+
The film received critical recognition on the international festival circuit, including a Special Jury Prize.
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