Stream It Or Skip It: ‘We are One’ on Netflix, an Inspiring Documentary in Which a Musician Elevates the Tireless Work of International Activists

Netflix documentary We Are One (On Est Ensemble) chronicles the efforts of French musician Matthieu Chedid — also known as -M- — to bring together an international cadre of activists to participate in a video for a song he wrote in response to economic, environmental and social crises throughout the world. He titled it Solidarity, a concept he considered a simple solution to many problems. Director Stephane de Freitas followed him around as he found community leaders, artists and nonprofit organizers around the world, hoping that sharing their tireless work via the video would inspire people and put a little positivity back into the world.

WE ARE ONE (ON EST ENSEMBLE): STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Countless refugees. Prejudice. Climate disaster. They seem like insurmountable problems. But scholars Alain Caille and Edgar Morin philosophize that solidarity might heal a fractured world. Their voices provide an introduction to Chedid and de Freitas’ goal: show how solidarity among the few can be spread to the many.

In France, they find Mara, once imprisoned for participating in a political protest; when he got out, he put together the Big Challenge, a nonprofit dedicated to feeding the homeless and fighting poverty in Paris. In Brasil, Panmela is a graffiti artist committed to fighting for women’s rights and raising awareness of domestic violence in the wake of rampant femicide. In the U.S., Afaq is a Yemeni immigrant and the daughter of a Darfour-born activist who was the target of terrible anti-Muslim and anti-Black racism at the University of Arizona, and now creates photography and writes poetry about embracing identity. In Mali, Broulaye is an albino man battling deep-seated prejudice against those with the condition; he works to attain sunscreen, eyeglasses and equality.

In Paris, while Chedid maps out a plan to shoot the music video, protests break out after a Chinese man is murdered, a victim of a hate crime. They bring in Tamara, who battles prejudice against Asians via her org, Chinese from France, French from China — the more the merrier for a song about unity. It doesn’t stop with the celebratory video, though. Sure, concert footage of Chedid performing the song with his new friends in front of a packed stadium, but the activists’ participation gave them a significant platform to grow their causes; cue Afaq taking the stage at the G7 education summit with an air of profound grace.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: This ain’t We Are the World or the Hear ‘n’ Aid behind-the-scenes documentary — it’s less condescending and a little more focused on the right things.

Performance Worth Watching: Afaq appears to be the youngest of the activists featured in the film, and she shows an affirmational, optimistic spirit that’s infectious and charismatic.

Memorable Dialogue: Mara: “We’re in one of the most destitute areas of France. But it’s also the wealthiest. Not economically wealthy. But we have values of togetherness. That’s our wealth. Poverty brings us together.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: The ideological motor driving We Are One is simple: elevate some of society’s underheard but critical voices. We get a good sense of what inspires the activists and what they’ve experienced. Panmela and Afaq’s art and personalities brim with strength and confidence; their attempts to raise awareness are conceptual but crucial. Broulaye and Mara’s goals are more immediate — getting food and supplies directly into the hands that need them.

What could’ve been a self-serving film for Chedid and his fellow musicians — we see them occasionally mapping out plans for the video or performing on stage — ultimately isn’t about how great they are. It’s a testament to activists’ tireless hard work, and an example of using one’s status to raise others’ voices.

And those voices speak of heartbreaking, enraging things. Panmela and her friends discuss how male-on-female violence is ingrained in Brazilian culture, and we see footage of a man brutally beating his wife in security footage. Afaq shares how she showed videos of hate speech to University of Arizona officials, who suggested that she didn’t belong there. Broulaye and a group of people with albinism talk about how superstitious Malians that albinos’ organs have various “powers”; we see news footage of how a five-year-old albino girl was stolen from her bed and decapitated and disemboweled. And Mara shares how he was “presumed guilty” during his trial, and spent 29 months, 12 of them in isolation, for allegedly shooting at a police officer — a crime he didn’t commit. This is all powerful stuff.

Our Call: STREAM IT. We Are One starts with Chedid’s music and concludes with an uplifting tone of unity and healing that could be a salve for many weary souls, especially here in the troubled year 2020.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream We Are One on Netflix