Paris
becomes the victim of yet another terrorist attack in Nocturama, as a diverse
bunch of youths come together to make the city of love burn. Nocturama is
timely, perhaps far too timely for some, but even as it addresses contemporary
concerns, it completely shies away from addressing a major elephant in the
room.
So while Nocturama features a group of
youths who plan to shake Paris with a series of explosions, the reasons for
this turn to terrorism avoid what perhaps could be considered the obvious.
Revealed slowly in flashbacks, some of these kids are from poor backgrounds,
and others appear fired up by studying politics in classes. Whatever their
motivations, they come together one afternoon and detonate bombs across the
city that will leave Paris on high alert. They regroup once their mission is
complete and for dubious reasons, decide to hide out for the night in a
department store full of luxury goods.
While sirens wail outside, the youths take
shelter indoors and play pretend with all the trappings of modern life that
they may well have normally been denied. The only thing that’s missing from
this Dawn of the Dead remake is the zombies. As the kids try out booming
speakers, watch the news on widescreen televisions and try on designer clothes,
it’s clear that any anti-capitalist sentiment they hold can quickly be
forgotten as they get to explore the excess that drives the economy.
Director Bertrand Bonello employs a
prowling steadicam to track these characters, at first as they crisis-cross
Paris in preparation and then later as they aimlessly stroll around the
department store surrounded by symbols of materialism. There’s a slow and
deliberate pace, occasionally enlivened by the booming music coming out of the
state of the art department stereos, and Bonello throws in a few neat tricks as
certain scenes are replayed from different perspectives, particularly as things
take a turn for the tense in the final scenes.
What Nocturama lacks is any mention of
religion and particularly religious motivations for recent terrorist attacks in
France and increasingly across Europe. It avoids spelling out the reasons for
its youths strike against the powers that be, but banking practices are briefly
highlighted. Perhaps this is a deliberate attempt to shift blame from the
obvious places, but it also feels like a cop-out to some extent. Wouldn’t it be
more potent to tackle France’s relationship with its own very real extremists
in a more direct manner?
Still, Nocturama ends with a plea for compassion,
but this has been numbed by a somewhat indulgent build-up to the climax. Despite
its contemporary relevance, it’s a shame this didn’t dig deeper and tackle the
more precise, pressing issues France (and the rest of Europe) faces today.
NOCTURAMA / CERT: TBA / DIRECTOR &
SCREENPLAY: BERTRAND BONELLO / STARRING:
FINNEGAN OLDFIELD, VINCENT ROTTIERS, HAMZA MEXIANI, MANAL, ISSA, MARTIN
PETIT-GUYOT / RELEASE DATE: TBA
Expected: 6
Actual Rating:
