Nocturama

Nocturama, a French thriller-drama from 2016, is directed by Bertrand Bonello, a filmmaker known for his bold and distinctive directorial style. This film showcases an ensemble cast led by Finnegan Oldfield, Vincent Rottiers, and Hamza Meziani, who bring to life a gloomy narrative of rebellion and its consequences in the heart of Paris. Bonello crafts this intense, provocative vision of youthful insurrection with unflinching honesty, moving well beyond the bound of normality to probe and question the pervasive discontent and lack of direction within contemporary society.

As the movie embarks, we find ourselves in the metropolitan sprawl of Paris, with the narrative focused on a group of young individuals. They are from different backgrounds and social strata but have congregated with a shared motive. The first half of Nocturama follows this diverse group of young Parisians, busily crisscrossing the city whilst executing meticulously planned tasks, all as part of a vague but charged mission. Oldfield, embodying the questioning spirit of youth with calculated intensity, leads these characters, each dealing out their part of this mysterious plan with a youthful ardor that is both compelling and unnerving.

Bonello doesn’t provide quick and easy answers to what transpires. Instead, he maintains a steady air of suspense and foreboding, bolstered by an efficiently used Parisian backdrop, portraying a city fraught with high tension and waiting for some imminent disaster. The audience’s knowledge of these characters and their plans, or lack thereof, unfold sync with the narrative, thereby heightening a sense of suspense and dread that pervades the piece.

Vincent Rottiers and Hamza Meziani deliver noteworthy performances within the young ensemble, each grafting their characters with palpable angst and restlessness reflecting the tumultuous world around them. Their camaraderie, fraught with tensions and idealistic contradictions, becomes a microcosm of the wider society the film sets out to depict.

Once the explosive first half concludes, the narrative takes a dramatic shift to a claustrophobic stage—a high-end department store where our protagonists find themselves amidst all the urban opulence that starkly contrasts the gritty Parisian streets from earlier in the film. Here, they could live out their wildest fantasies, surrounded by a trove of luxury brands, gadgets, and high-end fashion. The group relaxes amidst rich trappings in the heart of the night, but the thrumming tension from earlier never truly dissipates. Instead, it accumulates, becoming heavier and more pervasive, wrapped into the youthful exuberance with a foreboding sense of inevitable doom.

Bonello scores the film himself, and this facet cannot be underplayed. The brooding electronic soundtrack adds another layer to the pervasive atmosphere of uneasy calm and bubbling tension. The film features sporadic moments of pop music, which against the backdrop of a nerve-wracking narrative, creates a conflicting resonance. Similarly, the cinematography by Leo Hinstin is stunning, capturing both the raw grittiness of a modern metropolis and the sterile beauty of a high-end mall with equal dexterity.

However, beneath its sleek exterior, Nocturama poses complex and provocative questions. Are these young characters mere rebels without a cause? Are they anarchists or simply lost souls trying to make sense of their rapidly evolving world? Are their actions an indictment of consumer culture, of societal failings, or of their own misplaced idealism? The film doesn’t provide clear-cut answers, but it does provide a platform for discussions on societal inequalities, the angst of a disillusioned youth and the wider specter of terrorism.

Throughout its runtime, the film firmly remains nonjudgmental, refraining from moral grandstanding or simple categorization of its characters into heroes and villains. Each character, with their distinctive motivations and personality, represents different facets of the society we inhabit, echoing a prevalent sense of disillusionment and rebellion.

Nocturama, a film of two halves, strikes a fine balance between a riveting thriller and an insightful social commentary, sparingly using dialogues and relying heavily on its strong visual language. It unfolds more like an episodic, visual symphony that encapsulates snapshot of modern France and its rebellious youth. Its feeling of dread and paranoia mirror contemporary society’s anxieties, making Nocturama a timely and haunting cinematic experience.