Après mai

The problem with autobiographical cinema is that it can be very self-indulgent or just downright dull depending on the life being portrayed. Olivier Assayas made "Apres Mai" in 2012, looking back to his student days in the Paris of 1971. To give the film its English title it was a time when there was "Something in the Air", revolution mostly. It was a time when France, indeed the world, was changing. Assayas himself went on to have a very successful and productive career in cinema but you would never guess it from this film in which he is a callow youth , (played by newcomer Clement Metayer), going through the motions most of us went through at the time without realising we only made a difference if we were part of a much larger picture. Autobiographical cinema is better when it makes that larger picture the centre of attention. Of course, maybe I'm just an old cynic who now finds that period of student revolution not so much 'something in the air' as something in the past. Fundamentally this is a film for Assayas acolytes and old hippies who want to relive their youth, very well done for what it is, but ultimately adding little to the Assayas canon.

It's a fascinating period, late 60s France from the perspective of the student movement.

The violence of the police, the underground press, the graffiti, protests, the connection and disagreements with the other socialist groups, the independent cinema collectives.

With the backdrop of the music and art of that era.

What this film is really about though is wanting to support a cause but also trying to decide upon your own future. I think they pull this off well by following the characters individually rather than just when they are a group.

It's beautifully shot and in some very picturesque locations.

I think it is a very good film.

Just watched the movie yesterday, and for those who are interested in the high school movement of France in the early '70s and expect the movie to have a say about the topic, it would be a disappointment. Therefore, alter your expectations towards an autobiography of a young artist who is in pursuit of love, his ideals and independence.

The opening of the movie is promising with protests, group of students clashing ideas and then acting based on those ideas. You can actually sense that there is something in the air which is obviously the belief in the revolution. Yet later, it seems quite undecided whether to focus on the aspect of revolutionary ideas or on the personal lives and thoughts of the characters. Both topics can be processed in a movie, however in this one both aspects seems inconclusive.

Also what I see missing in the movie is that all young revolutionaries were not faced a tough life or living a life that is rather comfortable. They want to change things but it seems they are not sure what they want to change or how bad things are for the working class. I am not expecting a person of that age to be fully aware of the situation but I wondered how would they react in a desperate situation. They do not look unhappy with their life.

If I had watched the movie with different expectations, I would have enjoyed it more. It is still likable but not satisfying.

There's revolution on the mind in Something in the Air, as we watch a group of young idealists rage against the injustices in the world whilst also trying to figure out their own lives. Set in the early 1970s, this film looks and sounds the part, with a beautiful washed-out colour palette matched by a cracking soundtrack.

The storyline of Something in the Air feels a little uneven as it lurches between revolutionary activities and the human drama of the characters, however there's an underlying warmth to this film that makes it an enjoyable watch. The characters feel real, to the extent that this feels like just a snapshot of their lives, and that they lived before and after the small period we spend with them.

This isn't a flawless film. I would've liked to have spent a bit more time with some of the characters, getting to know their motivations deeper. However, provided you don't find the politics off-putting it's a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.

Gilles is an interesting character, a political activist studying to be an artist. But it's frustrating that beyond his political beliefs we get to know little about him. Conversations are short. What do any of the people feel? There are a lot of opinions and judgments made about society, authority, each other - usual for French films. But left me unsatisfied. Warning: Ironically, be prepared to meet many dissatisfied people, even majorly unhappy ones, during the course of this film. Wonderful evocation of times ('70s) and attention to detail though.