Nocturama (film)

Last updated

Nocturama
Nocturama (film).jpg
Directed by Bertrand Bonello
Written byBertrand Bonello
Produced byEdouard Weil
Alice Girard
Starring Finnegan Oldfield
Laure Valentinelli
Martin Petit-Guyot
Hamza Meziani
Manal Issa
Jamil McCraven
Ilias Le Doré
Rabah Nait Oufella
Robin Goldbronn
Vincent Rottiers
CinematographyLeo Hinstin
Edited byFabrice Rouaud
Music byBertrand Bonello
Production
companies
Wild Bunch
My New Picture
Arte
Pandora Film Produktion
Scope Pictures [1]
Distributed byWild Bunch [1]
Grasshopper Film (US)
Release dates
  • 8 July 2016 (2016-07-08)(Paris)
  • 31 August 2016 (2016-08-31)(France)
  • 11 August 2017 (2017-08-11)(United States)
Running time
130 minutes [1]
CountriesFrance
Belgium
Germany
LanguageFrench
Budget€5.6 million [2]
Box office$321,768 [3]

Nocturama is a 2016 thriller film written and directed by Bertrand Bonello. It was released in France on 31 August 2016, and in the US by Grasshopper Film on 11 August 2017. [4] [5] It tells the story of a group of young, multiracial radicals committing a series of terrorist attacks in Paris. [6]

Contents

Plot

The first hour of the film follows a group of young revolutionaries as they orchestrate an elaborate plan that involves the planting of bombs across the city of Paris. It is revealed via flashback that the bombs are made of a substance called semtex, which has been provided to the young terrorists (all either teens or university students) by Greg, the only independent adult in the group. Their plan involves the planting of bombs in cars, high-rises, and government buildings, assassinating the head of HSBC France, and setting fire to the Jeanne d'Arc. Sarah, her boyfriend David, and Yacine each infiltrates the floor of a skyscraper to plant a bomb, aided by Fred, an accomplice who works as a security guard at the target buildings. Whilst searching David's floor, Fred finds and shoots to death an innocent office worker who was attending a call. This alerts another security guard, who kills Fred despite his appeals. David hears this from a neighboring hallway and runs, throwing away his bomb without having set it.

After detonating the bombs remotely, the young terrorists all convene to a department store situated in the heart of Paris, intending to stay there until evening of the next day so as to escape the attention of the authorities. The rest of the group consists of André, Samir, his sister Sabrina, and Mika, the youngest in the group. They hide while the security team searches through it looking for stragglers. One of their number, Omar, turns out to be another accomplice to the terrorists. He tells the group that he has bound and gagged the rest of the security team and shut down all the security cameras (it is revealed later that he shot and killed the guards). To their dismay, the group realizes that two of their number are missing: Fred and Greg. David informs them of Fred's death, but the fate of Greg, whose task was to assassinate the bank executive, remains a mystery. The group spends the night at the store, eating food from the grocery store and stealing clothes from boutiques. Omar turns some TVs on display on, allowing the group an insight into the state of the world outside. A panic has spread as the authorities search for the bombers, and this knowledge satisfies the group. They remain agitated, however, worrying about whether Greg has been captured and been coerced into revealing their whereabouts. David leaves the store to smoke. He encounters a homeless man whom he feels sorry for and invites into the mall for food, telling him his father owns the store and has allowed him and some friends run of the place. The man declines, saying he is waiting for his wife, but David insists upon leaving the door wedged open, in case the couple should want to enter. In another excursion outside, he meets a cyclist, who he asks for information about the state of affairs in the city. She informs him that the authorities are still searching for the perpetrators of the bombings, which she believes "were bound to happen," echoing the inevitability of something André said to Sarah earlier in the film: "Civilization is a condition for the downfall of civilization."

When David returns, he finds his fellow renegades even more on-edge, now partaking in impromptu performances and applying makeup onto each other and themselves. Mika has a dream of Greg walking up to him and telling him he forgot to hide his gun, which exposed him. Greg tells him he committed suicide on the streets and asks him if he would have done the same before disappearing, leaving a mannequin in his place, which severely unnerves Mika. Sarah screams when she sees the homeless man and his wife walking up the escalators, having taken David up on his offer. David consoles the group, telling them they have nothing to fear, and they begrudgingly concede to allowing the homeless couple access to the store. David and Sarah have sex, after which he turns a TV on to learn that the authorities are aware that the terrorists are holed up in the store, and are gearing up for action. He informs André of this development in a panic, and is told to hold-off from telling the others. He returns to Sarah, who is fast asleep. André sets up the remainder of the semtex against some pillars, planning on using at as leverage when the authorities arrive. David eventually informs the rest of the group of the incoming forces and they all hide across the shop once again in anticipation, deathly afraid.

A squad of heavily armed police storms the store, and the youngsters attempt to surrender, holding up their arms and appearing passive. The police remorselessly shoot every single person regardless, including the homeless couple. In quick succession, all the young members of the team are gunned down, with their attempts to bargain or plea failing without exception, leaving a string of bodies embellishing the floors of the dark store.

Cast

Production

The film's working title was Paris est une fête (Paris is a Party). [1] The film was shot in Paris in the summer of 2015. [7] Part of the filming took place in La Samaritaine. [8] It is Bertrand Bonello's first film that was shot digitally. [9] Two days before shooting, Bonello rented a theater and showed Alan Clarke's Elephant to the cast and crew. [10] Bonello stated that the influences on the film included George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead , [11] as well as John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 . [12]

Bonello reworked the last minutes of the film as a letter to his daughter in a short film he did for Fondazione Prada during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, entitled Où en êtes-vous? (Numéro 2). [13] [14]

Release

The film was released in France on 31 August 2016, and in the US by Grasshopper Film on 11 August 2017. [4] It also screened in the Platform section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. [15]

Reception

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 82% based on 49 reviews, and an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Nocturama uses an unorthodox perspective and repellent protagonists to offer sobering statements about modern society -- and deliver uniquely suspenseful entertainment." [16] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score 71 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [17]

Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian gave the film 3 stars out of 5, describing it as "[a] provocative French hipster-terrorism picture that is too crafty to ignore, but too obnoxious to embrace." [18] Pamela Pianezza of Variety stated that "Bertrand Bonello's controversial portrait of Parisian radicals planning terror attacks around the city refuses to explain the unexplainable." [1] David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a grade of "B−", writing, "It's fine that Bonello would rather raise unsettling questions than provide unhelpful answers, but his inquiry often feels every bit as confused as his characters." [19]

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade of "A" and praised Bonello as a director who "has matured into a singular talent of modern film". [20] He wrote, "Nocturama embraces abstractions and contradictions and locates meaning in them: the terrorists' need for attention and fear of being caught; the symbolism and meaninglessness of the plan; their status as sworn enemies of the status quo and creatures of the modern world; the contrast between the scale of the attack and the claustrophobia of the group's blinkered point-of-view." [20] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter said, "if you put reality aside and try to judge the movie in a sort of vacuum, there are definitely things worth salvaging — such as Bonello's assured stylistic hand, which mixes fluid Steadicam shots with an array of tantalizing soundtrack choices, as well as an elliptical narrative that brings a handful of characters together in captivating ways, especially in the film's suspenseful first half." [21]

The film was placed at number 13 on Sight & Sound 's annual critics' poll. [22] It was placed at number 3 on Slant Magazine's "Best Films of 2017" list [23] as well as number 3 on Film Comment 's "Best Undistributed Films of 2016" list, [24] and number 5 on their "Best Films of 2017" list. [25] It was also placed at number 71 on Consequence of Sound 's "Top 100 Films of the 2010s" list [26] and number 21 on The A.V. Club 's "100 Best Movies of the 2010s" list. [27]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef(s)
San Sebastian Film Festival 24 September 2016SIGNIS AwardNocturamaWon [28]
Mar del Plata Film Festival 26 November 2016Special Mention for Best CinematographyLeo HinstinWon [29]
Lumières Award 30 January 2017 Best Film NocturamaNominated [30]
Best Director Bertrand BonelloNominated
Best Cinematography Leo HinstinNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Emerson</span> American film producer (born 1954)

Steven Emerson is an American investigative journalist, author, and pundit on national security, terrorism, and Islamic extremism. He is the founder and director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism, and received a George Polk Award for the 1994 documentary Terrorists Among Us: Jihad in America.

In the United States, domestic terrorism is defined as terrorist acts that were carried out within the United States by U.S. citizens and/or U.S. permanent residents. As of 2021, the United States government considers white supremacists to be the top domestic terrorism threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Right-wing terrorism</span> Terrorism motivated by right-wing and far-right ideologies

Right-wing terrorism, hard right terrorism, extreme right terrorism or far-right terrorism is terrorism that is motivated by a variety of different right-wing and far-right ideologies. It can be motivated by Ultranationalism, neo-Nazism, anti-communism, neo-fascism, ecofascism, ethnonationalism, religious nationalism, anti-immigration, anti-semitism, anti-government sentiment, patriot movements, sovereign citizen beliefs, and occasionally, it can be motivated by opposition to abortion, tax resistance, and homophobia. Modern right-wing terrorism largely emerged in Western Europe in the 1970s, and after the Revolutions of 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, it emerged in Eastern Europe and Russia.

Terrorism in Australia deals with terrorist acts in Australia as well as steps taken by the Australian government to counter the threat of terrorism. In 2004 the Australian government has identified transnational terrorism as also a threat to Australia and to Australian citizens overseas. Australia has experienced acts of modern terrorism since the 1960s, while the federal parliament, since the 1970s, has enacted legislation seeking to target terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertrand Bonello</span> French filmmaker, composer, and actor (born 1968)

Bertrand Bonello is a French film director, screenwriter, producer, composer and actor. His work has been associated with the New French Extremity. He wrote and directed Something Organic (1998), The Pornographer (2001),Tiresia (2003), Cindy: The Doll Is Mine (2005), On War (2008), House of Tolerance (2011), Saint Laurent (2014), Nocturama (2016), Zombi Child (2019), Coma (2022), and The Beast (2023). He also starred in Portrait of the Artist (2015), and Titane (2021). He was nominated for the César Award for Best Director for Saint Laurent, and was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos the Jackal</span> Venezuelan-born international terror operative (born 1949)

Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal or simply Carlos, is a Venezuelan who conducted a series of assassinations and terrorist bombings from 1973 to 1985. A committed Marxist–Leninist, Ramírez Sánchez was one of the most notorious political terrorists of his era, protected and supported by the Stasi and the KGB. After several bungled bombings, Ramírez Sánchez led the 1975 raid on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) headquarters in Vienna, during which three people were killed. He and five others demanded a plane and flew with a number of hostages to Libya.

<i>House of Tolerance</i> 2011 film by Bertrand Bonello

House of Tolerance is a 2011 French drama film written and directed by Bertrand Bonello, starring Hafsia Herzi, Céline Sallette, Jasmine Trinca, Adèle Haenel, Alice Barnole, Iliana Zabeth and Noémie Lvovsky. The film had its world premiere in the Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2011.

<i>Saint Laurent</i> (film) 2014 French film by Bertrand Bonello

Saint Laurent is a 2014 French biographical drama film co-written and directed by Bertrand Bonello, and starring Gaspard Ulliel as Yves Saint Laurent, Jérémie Renier as Pierre Bergé, and Louis Garrel as Jacques de Bascher. The supporting cast features Léa Seydoux, Amira Casar, Aymeline Valade, and Helmut Berger. The film centers on Saint Laurent's life from 1967 to 1976, during which time the famed fashion designer was at the peak of his career. The film competed for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and was released on 24 September 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in Europe</span> Overview of terrorism in Europe

There is a long history of terrorism in Europe. This has often been linked to nationalist and separatist movements, while other acts have been related to politics, religious extremism, or organized crime. Terrorism in the European sections of the intercontinental countries of Turkey and Russia are not included in this list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in France</span> Overview of terrorism in France

Terrorism in France refers to the terrorist attacks that have targeted the country and its population during the 20th and 21st centuries. Terrorism, in this case is much related to the country's history, international affairs and political approach. Legislation has been set up by lawmakers to fight terrorism in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic terrorism</span> Terrorism committed in a country by its own natives or nationals, without support from abroad

Domestic terrorism or homegrown terrorism is a form of terrorism in which victims "within a country are targeted by a perpetrator with the same citizenship" as the victims. There are many definitions of terrorism, and none of them are universally accepted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Tours police station stabbing</span> 2014 terrorist attack in France

On 20 December 2014, a man in Joué-lès-Tours near the city of Tours in central France entered a police station and attacked officers with a knife, shouting "Allahu Akbar" and injuring three before he was shot and killed. The attack was categorised as a case of religiously inspired terrorism by Europol, and has been reported by Europol as well as mappings by CNN and AFP as inspired by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels Islamic State terror cell</span> Group who carried out Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks

The Brussels Islamic State terror cell was a group involved in large-scale terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015 and Brussels in March 2016. The terror cell was connected to the Islamic State (IS), a jihadist terrorist organisation primarily based in Syria and Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic terrorism in Europe</span> Islamic terrorist attacks and plots in Europe

Islamic terrorism in Europe has been carried out by the Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century. Europol, which releases the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend report (TE-SAT), used the term "Islamist terrorism" in the years 2006–2010, "religiously inspired terrorism" 2011–2014, and has used "jihadist terrorism" since 2015. Europol defines jihadism as "a violent ideology exploiting traditional Islamic concepts".

This article covers attacks and activity of terrorism in Belgium.

From 1985 to 1986, a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, France were carried out by the Committee for Solidarity With Arab and Middle Eastern Political Prisoners (CSPPA), a previously unknown group, demanding the release of three imprisoned international terrorists. The CSPPA was believed to have been some combination of Palestinians, Armenian nationalists, and Lebanese Marxists, though it was later reported that they were mainly instigated by Hezbollah, sponsored by the Iranian state. The CSPPA demanded the release of Anis Naccache, from the Iranian state network; Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, member of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF); and Varadjian Garbidjan, member of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA).

<i>Coma</i> (2022 film) 2022 French film by Bertrand Bonello

Coma is a 2022 French film written and directed by Bertrand Bonello. Combining animation and live action, it tells the story of a teenage girl who is locked in her house during a global health crisis and navigates between dreams and reality, until she starts following a disturbing and mysterious YouTuber named Patricia Coma. It stars Louise Labèque, Julia Faure, Gaspard Ulliel, Laetitia Casta, Vincent Lacoste, Louis Garrel and Anaïs Demoustier. Coma was the last film Ulliel worked in before his death.

<i>The Beast</i> (2023 film) 2023 film by Bertrand Bonello

The Beast is a 2023 science fiction romantic drama film directed by Bertrand Bonello from a screenplay he co-wrote with Guillaume Bréaud and Benjamin Charbit, freely inspired by Henry James' 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle. It stars Léa Seydoux and George MacKay, with Guslagie Malanda and Dasha Nekrasova in supporting roles. It had its world premiere in official competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2023. It is set to be released theatrically in France by Ad Vitam on 7 February 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Pianezza, Pamela (30 August 2016). "Film Review: 'Nocturama'". Variety . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "Nocturama (2016)". JPBox-Office (in French). Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Nocturama". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  4. 1 2 Nordine, Michael (12 May 2016). "'Nocturama' Trailer & Poster: 'Paris Is Happening' in Bertrand Bonello's Terrorism Drama". IndieWire . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  5. ↑ Acevedo, Yoselin (11 May 2017). "'Nocturama' Trailer: A Group of Teens Plan a Terrorist Attack in Paris in Bertrand Bonello's New Thriller". IndieWire . Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  6. ↑ "Nocturama". Toronto International Film Festival . Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Melissa (8 August 2017). "Bertrand Bonello Takes on Teen Terrorism in the Hypnotizing, Estranging "Nocturama"". The Village Voice . Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Olsen, Mark (8 September 2016). "Toronto 2016: The hypnotic urgency of Bertrand Bonello's 'Nocturama'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  9. ↑ Weston, Hillary (11 August 2017). "Behind Closed Doors: A Conversation with Bertrand Bonello". The Criterion Collection . Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  10. ↑ Lucca, Violet (2017). "Directions: Bertrand Bonello". Film Comment . Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  11. ↑ Dillard, Clayton (7 August 2017). "Interview: Bertrand Bonello on Nocturama, Pop Culture, and Terrorism". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  12. ↑ Dallas, Paul (28 February 2017). "Bertrand Bonello on His Controversial Thriller 'Nocturama,' in New York at Last". The Village Voice . Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  13. ↑ "Finite Rants". Fondazione Prada . Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  14. ↑ Katz, David (15 February 2022). "Bertrand Bonello • Director of Coma". Cineuropa .
  15. ↑ Cox, Gordon (11 August 2016). "Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2016 Platform Lineup". Variety . Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  16. ↑ "Nocturama". Rotten Tomatoes . Flixster . Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  17. ↑ "Nocturama". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  18. ↑ Hoffman, Jordan (9 September 2016). "Nocturama review – attention-grabbing hipster terrorism in Paris". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  19. ↑ Ehrlich, David (8 September 2016). "'Nocturama' Is 'Elephant' For The The Age Of ISIS — TIFF Review". IndieWire . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  20. 1 2 Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (10 August 2017). "Nocturama is a mesmerizing, disturbing tour de force—and one of the best films of the year". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  21. ↑ Mintzer, Jordan (30 August 2016). "'Nocturama': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  22. ↑ "The best films of 2016". British Film Institute . 8 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  23. ↑ Slant Staff (8 December 2017). "The 25 Best Films of 2017". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  24. ↑ "Best Undistributed Films of 2016". Film Comment . 13 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  25. ↑ "Best Films of 2017". Film Comment . 23 November 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  26. ↑ "Top 100 Films of the 2010s (page 4 of 11)". Consequence of Sound . 30 December 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  27. ↑ "The 100 best movies of the 2010s". The A.V. Club . 18 November 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  28. ↑ Hopewell, John; Mayorga, Emilio (24 September 2016). "'I Am Not Madame Bovary' Wins San Sebastian Festival: Complete List of Winners". Variety . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  29. ↑ Mango, Agustin (26 November 2016). "'People That Are Not Me' Tops Mar del Plata Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  30. ↑ Richford, Rhonda (16 December 2016). "France's Lumiere Awards Nominations Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 25 January 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.