Nelson Makengo’s documentary debut portrays life in Kinshasa’s Kisenso neighbourhood, where prolonged electricity shortages and flooding have made darkness a defining part of daily life. It shows how residents rely on religion and collective resilience while facing heightened crime, sexual violence and limited state support.

The film depicts candlelit meals, illuminated prayer books and young people raising money to recover stolen electric cables. Its soundscape includes religious chants, city noise and reports about a delayed, multi-billion-pound hydroelectric project backed by a Chinese corporation, leaving the community’s future uncertain.