The first hour or so of "Nocturama" is a dazzling and suspenseful set piece that details how a group of young terrorists carry out coordinated attacks on government and business buildings in Paris. Crisp and playful editing has the story doubling back in time and shows us how the paths of the various characters, which at first are seemingly independent of one another, intersect.Then the film enters its second half, where the terrorists hole up overnight in a shopping mall, where one of their number is a security guard, and the whole exercise falls apart. Meant to be a blistering indictment of consumer capitalism and and I suppose the hollow convictions at the center of political activism -- these kids are obsessed with the very consumer products made by the institutions they condemn -- the film instead suffers from a fatal lack of logic and realism. By the time military soldiers are prowling through the mall randomly shooting whoever they see, whether armed or not, and without the slightest interest in taking survivors for interrogation even though these are all people who are supposed to be involved in a terrorist plot, I had thrown up my hands and given up.I get it, I get it. I shouldn't get hung up on a desire for realism and should instead embrace the symbolic and representational aspects of a film like this. Which I have no trouble doing if the symbolism is handled well. If I'm not meant to take events depicted in a film at face value, then the director needs to be better at indicating that. The film doesn't follow any kind of logic, not even of the internal kind. These kids are mature enough to carry out a detailed and sophisticated terrorist plot, but then have no better plan afterwards than to hang out at the mall? They seem to think that if they can make it for 24 hours without being tracked down then they're in the clear? That doesn't make any sense. And no military group would behave the way the ones in this film do. And no news agency would be broadcasting on television that the hideout of the terrorists was known before the authorities had arrived to contain the situation. The film requires too much suspension of disbelief on the part of its audience, with the result that we can't then focus on what the film is trying to tell us.Visually and aurally the film is impressive. One just wishes the storytelling hadn't been so flabby and lazy.Grade: C+

"Nocturama" is a French film written and directed by Bertrand Bonello. Bertrand Bonello is an acclaimed French director most notably known for being a part of the "New French Extremism" film movement. Unlike his earlier films, "The Pornographer" and "Tiresia", "Nocturama" deviates from conventions of the French Extremism movement and delivers a fresh and authentic vision. "Nocturama" is set in Paris and is about a diverse group of 10 young people ranging from 16 to 30 years, all of whom are from different social and racial backgrounds, yet they are all united under the same goal: to commit bomb attacks on 4 different locations in Paris. Once they've executed the plan they hide in an closed shopping mall for the night. This is where the second half of the film takes place. Upon hearing the plot this film may seen like an ordinary thriller. But, although it has elements of the thriller genre, its focus is not on the plot but rather on the atmosphere and the state of mind of the characters. The film bends the norms of film language, and tells this type of story in a different manner then it usually would've been told. The film opens up with different young characters roaming the streets of Paris and riding the subway. Their paths cross but they only exchange glances. For the first seven minutes of film there is no dialog, which is a great example of show don't tell style. Even though they don't say anything we know they are up to something, and we feel that something big is about to happen. The story is told non linearly, not only does the film jump form the past to present but we also see the same moments from different points of view. This style is especially reminiscent of the film "Elephant" by Gus Van Sant, a film about a high school shooting based on Columbine High School Massacre. Like "Elephant", "Nocturama" is also filled with shots of characters walking with the camera following them from behind their back. This style of shooting a character evokes a feeling of participation in the viewer which heightens the tension. Another interesting aspect of the film is that there is no main character, but all members of the group are treated equally. We observe them as a collective. Unlike an average thriller this film is not burdened by the need to tie all loose ends. It does not explain how the group came together nor how they came to the idea to commit a terrorist act. We are only given glimpses and hints about these elements of the narrative. The manner of withholding information in telling a story usually leaves the viewer unsatisfied, because he is not given the whole picture. But I personally like that style, for it is expected of the viewer to put all the pieces together and understand how and why it all happened. Once they executed the plan, and the bombs go off, they hide in a closed shopping mall. Here they anxiously wait for the danger to blow off, even though they believe their plan was flawless. Hiding in the hallmark of capitalist consumer society our rebels slowly relax and spend the night trying out new clothes, eating, drinking, playing music, goofing around and following the aftermath of their act on many television sets. Yet even though there seems to be nothing to worry about, we are constantly given the feeling that they are not going to get away with it. In the end the police find out where they are, and even though our characters are unarmed, the police kills them off one by one. How the police tracked them down is left unknown. The idea of "Nocturama" is obscure. The film asks many questions yet doesn't bother to give any answers. It shows the general discontentment that young people have with the government and social conditions. It portrays them as unified even though there are racial and class differences between them. Their attack was not aimed to kill any civilians, rather to damaged certain government buildings and certain corporation headquarters. Therefore, was their act morally unjust? Or is the question of moral in todays society relevant? At the end when the police arrive they are portrayed as merciless, yet clean and very professional, almost non human. The ending gives out a nihilistic vibe, and leaves the viewer wondering whether any form of rebellion against the government is possible.

Saw this at the Rotterdam film festival 2017 (website: iffr.com). In a word disappointing. The screenplay went very different from what I assumed beforehand given the synopsis on festival website. But what bothered me the most were the stupid repeats, often completely out of sync. It was not boring, however, and the diversity of the protagonists compensated a bit for the lack of real contents and missing insights in what made them tick. Anyway, the average festival visitor was not impressed. This movie ranked at a lowly 122nd place (out of 172).Much running time is devoted to assembling the group before they came into action, however without telling anything about their plans, why they did it this way, and how this group came together in the first place. The group is a peculiar mixture of colors, backgrounds, education and everything else that could have worked as binding element, which I would a priori assume as useful information given their intentions. The synopsis on the IFFR website warned beforehand for a "non-political hole" as the "abyss the characters gaze into". My own conspiracy theory is that the film makers wanted to avoid any link to religion or right/left-wing politics, in a desperate attempt to prevent viewers from being affronted or insulted.Apart from the void political stance, the reasoning about hiding in the warehouse overnight is puzzling too. We amply observe with our own eyes that it is a huge risk, given the size of the warehouse and the many temptations inside, let alone that some group members take enormous risks of being exposed or get detached from the group. Take for instance the one who desperately wanted a smoke after being warned several times by fellow group members for smoke detectors inside. So he had to leave the building, where he even invited an apparent hobo inside to relieve him of the cold weather.The news fragments we saw on TV's inside the building foreshadowed the outcome of this sabotage deed. It was stated with so many words that these terrorists were declared enemies of the state, and that there was no obligation for any negotiation. A happy ending seems thus far away.

Nocturama is a tale, and not a fairy tale, rather a nightmare tale. We see young people from all cast, age and race preparing some bombings over Paris. Their targets are all revealing the major discomforts in french society. After the bombings, they meet and hide in a big store after the closing where they spend the night having fun with the best luxury items.The first part made me think of Le Pont Du Nord by Jacques Rivette, with the characters crossing places and preparing the plots. Then the second part made me think of Zombie by Romero with that group surviving in a big store. What is surprising is the precision of the camera movements very close to the characters. And as they are a lot of different places, the camera is always surprisingly inventive.Yes, there is a strong cut between the first terrorist part and the second which forgets totally the bombing story to see what happens to these young people in this luxury paradise. And from then, audiences get puzzled because expecting more fiction about terrorism, for what and for whom they are fighting for, but nothing of the sort : just a chronicle of delinquents.Until .... Definitely underground movie, not commercial.