Bertrand Bonello's Nocturama is a profound piece of filmmaking, a deconstruction of radicalization that is both pointed yet beguiling, detailing a group of young Parisians, tired of the society they're living in, as they carry out a intricate terrorist attack on Paris. Oscillating between the intricate execution and the detailed planning of their act of terrorism, Bertrand Bonello's Nocturama is bristling with tension and intrigue, offering only subtle glimpses into the motives of these characters, who seemingly have grown tired of a system in which they feel their liberties and sense of personal freedom has been restricted. Nocturama is sure to trigger a host of fascinating conversations centered around radicalization, revolution, and terrorism, and while the film is certainly up to interpretation their is no denying the film's deconstruction of the naivety of these characters who truly believe they are about to change the world. Much of the film takes place in the aftermath of the bombings, detailing the slowly unraveling psyche of this group of young radicals, many of which soon begin to realize the true toll of their political-fueled actions. In a sense, Nocturama is in part a story about the perils of blind faith, and the lack of critical, independent thought, as many of these characters begin to see their romanticized ideals of political revolution dissolving before their eyes, with a sense of regret slowly seeping into the psyche of some of these characters who envisioned themselves as revolutionaries only to discover how little change they have actually made in the world. The disconnect between the quiet, tranquility of the department store they are held up in, with the chaos outside feels like a symbolic representation of their misguided expectations, with their perceptions of revolution being met with a quiet thud by the reality the situation in which they find themselves in, the bombings being essentially meaningless to their cause of triggering a cultural revolution. Many of the characters themselves, including the leader himself, find themselves confronted with the true gravitas of the situation they find themselves now in, beginning to recognized the true scope of their actions, and how little impact it has brought to the masses. Juxtaposing vapid pop music and consumerism with the news footage of the carnage on the Parisian streets is enigmatic and intriguing, as if to suggest these types of actions are rooted in a juvenile understanding of revolution, one in which these young radicals simply wish to place their stamp on the world, unable to truly create change. Though these characters' committed a heinous acts, Nocturama manages to make the viewer feel sorry for these characters, viewing them as almost tragic, with their actions intent on changing the world, only to find themselves slaughtered one-by-one by the Police's special unit which eventually finds them. Nearly every aspect of Nocturama is up for interpretation, but in a sense the film seems to suggest that bloodshed itself will always result in more bloodshed, with the film being a rather powerful portrait of the current state of Europe, one in which blood flows while change itself doesn't feel any less closer to reality.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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