Nocturama (2017)

Violence is not the answer. Something that many have been taught, but these kids either never heard of this or didn't listen. So while they plan and execute their "plan", we get a weird mix in the aftermath. Mostly we see them "waiting it out". There are glimpses of (social) media reports and how what they did affected people. But overall this is something that feels cold and meant to be detaching from the main characters.As much as they are detached from life. It doesn't really give us too much insight into the mindset though, there are too many characters for that. Unless you are able to read between the silences (and there are quite a few of them throughout the movie). But while it is a slow movie, it also has glimpses of violence. Something you have to be aware of, just in case you are appaled by it or can't handle it

'NOCTURAMA': Four Stars (Out of Five)A French-language dramatic thriller about a group of young multiracial radicals that commit a terrorist attack in Paris. It was written and directed by Bertrand Bonello, and it's one of the best reviewed movies of 2017. The film stars Finnegan Oldfield, Vincent Rottiers, Hamza Meziani, Manal Issa, Martin Guyot, Jamil McCraven and Rabah Nait Oufella. I found it to be long, and disturbing, but definitely interesting and well made too.The story is set in Paris, when a group of young multiracial adults decide they're fed up with the current government and need to do something about it. So they stage multiple bombings; on a government building, an office tower, and a statue of Joan of Arc. The group then hides out in a shopping mall, while they wait for tensions to die down outside. As they wait, the stress among them builds to extreme levels.The movie does a great job of making the young terrorists seem sympathetic, and relatable. Of course most of us would never do what they do in the film, but still the filmmakers paint a very understanding picture of their reasons and motives. You have to respect a film that can make the viewer respect those that are usually seen as the most deplorable among us, and that's what this movie does. It's a bit long, and definitely dark, but it's still more than worth a viewing.

I love the Metacritic summary for „Nocturama": some young folks, tired of the society they're living in, plan a bomb attack over Paris before to take shelter for a night in a shopping center... So simple, so elegant. Unfortunately, I can't say I loved the movie itself. „Nocturama" is artsy in a bad way, all high concept and lacking in every other aspect. Also, at 130 minutes, there's nearly not enough going on to justify the length. Sure, it's a promising material for short story/movie – a psychological portrayal of how terrorism is born. On paper, any summary of "Nocturama" would seem rather captivating... but, sadly, the result is frankly dull and lifeless. The screenwriter-director Bertrand Bonello's approach to storytelling is alienating (the characters are emotionally distant from the viewer and each other), and he likes to stretch many scenes, however empty, so long that it tests the endurance of the viewer. Some filmmakers use this conceptual aloofness and emptiness very effectively, such as Jim Jarmusch, who can make the most trivial on screen actions or details seem meaningful. Sadly, Bonello is not one of those filmmakers. The emotional distance makes sense as (part of the) general message of „Nocturama" – modern life has made us cold and empty – but constantly testing our endurance without payoff does not. At least not to me.

NOCTURAMA starts with a thrilling lesson in pure cinema. For fifteen minutes we follow ten different characters as they silently navigate Paris. We know nothing about them. There is no dialogue. Yet it is gripping. Bonnello takes his first wrong turn when the bombs go off. The explosions aren't nearly big enough. The film devolves into mush as soon as the characters end up in the department store. All of the tension that Bonnello built up in the first part of the movie evaporates and the story becomes a heavy-handed critique of capitalism. I hate directors who try to push a political agenda. Bonnello did the same thing in his whorehouse movie. I don't think I'll be seeing another of his movies. From an ideological point of view, NOCTURAMA swims in bad faith. Today's terrorism does not resemble this. It is much less glamorous and much less innocent. It is not perpetrated by people like Bonnello's good- looking United Colors of Benetton cast. It is perpetrated by schizophrenics and religious freaks. By distorting reality in this way, he robs his story of the power that only fidelity to life could confer on it. At least we get to see each of these repulsive young fools shot in the end. I think Bonnello wants us to identify with them. "Whoa...this is like...a metaphor for our society...they give us all these luxury consumer goods...but we lose our souls, man...and when we attempt to rebel...we finally understand that we're powerless against the faceless pigs with truncheons and laser scopes!" He ends the film with a pathetic appeal to sentimentality, by having a young black boy (probably supposed to represent Syrian immigrants) beg the SWAT team to help him. All I can say is that I cheered inside when they put a bullet in his heart. Bonnello, you chose propaganda over reality and for that you are an enemy of art.