Nocturama

I can understand why they have their reservations over this movie. Some essential plot points are barely touched upon, the central motivation of the characters is kinda bland and underdeveloped and the lack of realism is really annoying, specially towards the end. But this movie hits a fair amount of highs as well. The cast is interesting and nuanced, the direction is bold and it works, the score fits the movie quiet well and, in the first half of this movie, it never ceased to intrigue and weird me out. It's true that the second half has its mentioned problems, but it was kinda interesting too. The fact that the characters have such a ball in the mall when it's a total contradiction of their values... is it not hilariously ironic? And the movie never verbalized this, which it's a very clever way of conveying information. But, of course, that makes me wonder something as well: Why these characters are so dumb? I mean, so dumb? I know they are young, but come on! They make some (well, almost all) inexplicable actions in this movie!! That drags the movie down in my opinion. But, overall, I think it's more than decent. 6.8/10.

I did not expect anything special with this movie but certainly not this I just watched. And I was not disappointed at all. But surprised, yes. A very interesting point of view about terrorism for sure, and different from the MADE IN France aspect. Here, a group of young men and women in their early twenties, and also from different race and class origins, not ISIS prototypes, decide to pull four different bomb explosions in Paris, and simultaneously. And just after this done, they shelter in a big and fancy department store. The first part in breath taking even not spectacular at all. It is a really weird film, I warn you folks. It won't please to every one. The second part could a sort of tribute to Georges Romero's DAWN OF TH DEAD - without zombies. The big department stores means the today consumerist society, and a short scene may also be a little tribute to SHINING. The true surprise is the ending, very unusual but after all not so for a French film. The way the authorities and politic power decide to fight against terrorist threat is a real shock to me. A film that makes you think a lot folks. A lot. But, one more time, most of you may not like it. Shephen Hopkins's A DANGEROUS GAME and made in 1988, also showed the scheme of young folks locked inside a department store. And pursued by a psychopath.

Even though it's quite clear from reading the premise that the film is surely not for everyone, that is still an understatement. The filmmaking here is incredibly detached of emotion, cold, and very, very clinical. That's part of the genius of it. A film like this needs to be executed this way, or else wavering too far into one side would be controversial, either being labeled as a film too forgiving of its protagonists and wanting us to sympathize with them, or portraying them as completely evil and not adding enough layers. In that respect the film works. It is mostly without a musical score, and scenes play out in long stretches in ways sure to infuriate many, but also impressive in their commitment. I think it's a fascinating, powerful film, but not an easy one to like.

The film knows exactly what it's audience would like to see, but what it's withholding is integral to it's statement. This can be a difficult pill to swallow as it forgoes many of the simple pleasures of a conventional movie, testing both your patience and suspension of disbelief in the process.

It makes a group of terrorists into the central protagonists, but makes no attempt to offer any explanation for their actions. You keep waiting for a big reveal that will make it all seem justified, but it's absence leaves the film in a moral purgatory.

They come together to stage their attack in an almost heist movie like fashion, without any of the flair of say, Oceans 11. Then they retreat to a mall, which functions artistically to highlight the consumerist hypocrisy of our would be anarchists, but also makes absolutely no sense to the literal narrative, as it's clearly a terrible hiding place.

The pacing is deliberately slow, encouraging the audience to read between the lines of the minutia, though it does occasionally pick up at points. While it does seem to succeed at it's own intentions, it's impenetrable minimalism will probably alienate all but the most tolerant film buffs.

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.