Athena (2022 film)

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Athena
Athena (2022 film).png
Official release poster
Directed byRomain Gavras
Screenplay by
  • Romain Gavras
  • Ladj Ly
  • Elias Belkeddar
Starring
CinematographyMatias Boucard
Edited byCherifi Akram Mohamed Yasser
Music byGENER8ION
Production
companies
  • Iconoclast
  • Lyly Films
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • 2 September 2022 (2022-09-02) (Venice)
  • 23 September 2022 (2022-09-23) (Netflix)
CountryFrance
Languages
  • French
  • Arabic

Athena is a 2022 French epic action tragedy film directed by Romain Gavras. The film stars Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon, Ouassini Embarek and Alexis Manenti.

Athena had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 9 September 2022, where it competed for the Golden Lion award,[1] and was released on 23 September 2022 by Netflix. It received polarizing reviews, with praise for the acting, score, direction and technical aspects.

Synopsis[]

Set in a French banlieue, the plot concerns the chaos erupting in a neighborhood known as Athena in the wake of the brutal killing of Idir, focusing on the plight of the deceased's brothers Karim, Moktar, and Abdel. The brothers are of Algerian origin with one a decorated soldier in the French Army, another a drug dealer and the third a community leader, all outraged at the racist murder of Idir.

Cast[]

Production[]

The film is an Iconoclast and Lyly production.[6] It was shot in 2021 in the Parisian suburb of Évry-Courcouronnes.[7] It features dialogue in French and Arabic.[6]

Release[]

The film had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.[8][9] Distributed by Netflix, it was released in select cinemas on 9 September 2022, followed by a streaming release on 23 September 2022.[2][4]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 50 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The website's consensus reads, "Although it may arguably fail to do justice to its deeper themes, Athena makes for electrifying, hard-hitting viewing in the moment."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter summed up the film as "nerve-rattling, intense and explosive", deeming it to be "a live grenade, beginning in full ignition mode and dialing up its intensity throughout with virtuoso technique".[3]

Todd McCarthy of Deadline Hollywood described the film as "a torrent, an inundation, a cascade of rage, fury and frustration over the realities of life for a particular group of French families" that "grabs you by the throat and barely allows you a moment for a gasp of air".[12]

David Ehrlich of IndieWire rated the film 'C+', considering that it is "just a really cool movie about a country that's ready to catch fire", that "would have been more harrowing and successful had it fully owned the courage of [the anger of the dispossessed]".[4]

Tim Grierson of Screen Daily considered that Athena "works better as a brash, immersive action spectacle than a thought-provoking political thriller".[13]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be a film highlighted by "a sensational opening", yet also losing "its dramatic shape" afterwards.[2]

Lucile Commeaux of France Culture considers this film to be "dishonest and bad, in every sense of the word", a "big clip released on a platform that aestheticizes the aftermath of an alleged police blunder", with a "hyper-artificial structure [that] hardly maintains interest".[14]

Sandra Onana of Libération, who denounces a "deluge of stylized violence" and "non-existent characters", judges that "Romain Gavras stuns the spectator with a political casualness that forces disrespect".[15]

In Le Point, Jean-Luc Wachthausen wonders "Is it still fiction when such a crude daily reality, which has become familiar to millions of French people, is rendered?".[16]

Political reactions[]

French right-wing politicians, such as Gilbert Collard, member of Éric Zemmour's party, reacted as soon as the teaser was released, talking about the film as a harbinger of a "civil war" to come.[17]

Awards[]

Award Year Category Result Ref.
Venice Film Festival 2022 Golden Lion Nominated [18]
Premio Arca Cinema Giovani Won
Cinema for UNICEF Won

See also[]

  • List of French films of 2022

References[]

  1. ^ Parfitt, Orlando (26 July 2022). "Venice film festival unveils 2022 line-up – follow live". Screen Daily. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Bradshaw, Peter (2 September 2022). "Athena review – brutal violence and bravura action in the Paris banlieues". The Guardian.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Rooney, David (2 September 2022). "'Athena' Review: Director Romain Gavras Ignites the Paris Projects with Technical Virtuosity". The Hollywood Reporter.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Ehrlich, David (2 September 2022). "'Athena' Review: A Roman Candle of a Movie About a Police Siege in Paris". IndieWire.
  5. ^ "Ali Damiche". IMDb. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Debruge, Peter (2 September 2022). "'Athena' Review: Romain Gavras' Tense, Incendiary Thriller Declares War on Injustice". Variety.
  7. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (1 October 2021). "Romain Gavras' Athena completes filming". Cineuropa. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  8. ^ Aguilar, Carlos (2 September 2022). "'Athena' Film Review: Romain Gavras Captures French Police Brutality With Visceral Power". TheWrap.
  9. ^ "Athena. Venezia 79 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Athena". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Athena". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  12. ^ McCarthy, Todd (2 September 2022). "Venice Review: Romain Gavras' 'Athena'". Deadline Hollywood.
  13. ^ Grierson, Tim (2 September 2022). "'Athena': Venice Review". Screen Daily.
  14. ^ Commeaux, Lucile (22 September 2022). "Critique film : Athéna de Romain Gavras, un film "malhonnête et mauvais"". Radio France (in French).
  15. ^ Onana, Sandra (22 September 2022). "«Athena», de Romain Gavras: fumigène aux entournures". Libération (in French).
  16. ^ Wachthausen, Jean-Luc (23 September 2022). "« Athena » : quand Romain Gavras se brûle au film politique". Le Point (in French).
  17. ^ Vivant, Samuel (24 August 2022). ""Athena", le nouveau film de Romain Gavras et Ladj Ly fait déjà polémique". actu.fr (in French).
  18. ^ "Collateral awards of the 79th Venice Film Festival". La Biennale di Venezia. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.

External links[]

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