Athena (2022)

Phenomenal - Athena review by sb

FILM & REVIEW Graves’ ferocious film set in the titular deprived housing estate - one of many that ring Paris. The youngest of three Algerian descent siblings is killed apparantly by riot police. - the elder brother Abdel (Bensalla) who is in the army and has links to the police appeals for calm but the firebrand middle brother Karim (Slimane ) throws a petrol bomb and all hell breaks loose. Escaping back to the estate with stolen weapons and vehicles the scene is set for a full blown confrontation with the Police . During one encounter a young riot policeman Jermaine is captured and is held hostage in return for the riot police who killed the younger brother. Abdel realising that things are escalating way too fast and volunteers to go in and rescue the hostage which sets him up directly against Karim and makes him question where his loyalties lie. Add in a drug dealer who is the half brother of the other two and an anarcho- terrorist intent on burning the world down and things are set for a final reckoning. It’s shot mainly using long single takes that propels you into the very heart of the carnage - when rioters slam into the riot squad so does the camera and the audience with it. The way the action is choreographed around the lens is just superb and the single opening take at well over 10 minutes is a breathtaking composition. Bensalla is excellent as the conflicted brother and as we learn that the rioting has spread all over France it’s as much a portent of the way France may be going as much as anything else. It really is a phenomenal piece of film-making and is on Netflix….5/5