Paris Belongs To Them. Bertrand Bonello’s Nocturama.

Bertrand Bonello’s Nocturama is a shock to the heart, and a shock to the senses.

Tracing the build up to, and fallout from of a co-ordinated terrorist attack in Paris, the film couldn’t be more timely. Recalling the work of Costa-Gavras, Bonello’s is a work borne of nihilism and frustration, with the collected youth of a nation represented by a group of diverse individuals. Tired of the political machinations of modern day France, the group take it upon themselves to ring in chaos, with a series of bombings across the city.

The political concerns around which the film revolve are merely alluded to in the text of the movie itself, but it’s clear that Bonello is channeling a heightened version of contemporary concerns here. The whole thing plays out like a digital rendering of Mai ’68, with post-millenial angst and feelings of hereditary disillusionment playing in to that.

The finished film is a striking, highly affecting piece of work.