I'm surprised by all the negative reviews of this film. The cinematography is indeed impressive and groundbreaking. If the viewer can't connect with the story, he might at least be able to connect with the lens. Nonetheless, I believe the complexity of the story requires more thought than most reviewers are willing to give. This is a story of impotent, misdirected outrage against law enforcement. The news reports, "the attackers may not have been officers, but far-right extremists aiming to aggravate recent tension..." Police investigators say, "We think it's a far-right group. They aren't our men." But these vital messages are completely ignored by the outraged mob. The Athena mob forges its path of destruction, with a crescendo of violence, killing multiple, innocent police officers whom are vindicated in the final scene of the film -- as we witness the fringe group of Christian separatists (the "far-right group" referred to earlier) committing their devious crime wearing police uniforms in a "false flag" style event. This film illustrates how a tiny, deceptive spark can ignite a massive and devastating, "social justice" crime wave lasting for days -- with the Athena mob effectively behaving as "useful idiots" in the destruction of their own image and community.
Add a Review
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revbobdobbs-47-1726872 October 2022
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PedroPires903 October 2022This is very good. The initial scene is one of the best intros...in the cinema history. As simple as that. Technically the film is always great and one of those that I would really have preferred to watch in a cinema room. Unfortunately, Netflix doesn't want that.
I see some people criticising the plot or the script. Well, the plot is good IMO. For a film that happens in one night I think it touches in many things and isn't even politically correct (a lot of the spectators would have preferred to blame only the police because for them is always white and black). The script is...honestly, good enough? Yeah, some dialogue is not that great, but what do you think would be the real dialogue in a situation like this one? Do you really know how these people or most people usually speak in these scenarios?
A very good film. Really surprised to see this is the first film of one of the main actors and one of those films that will force me to watch previous films of this director. -
jamielonghead4 December 2022This film is great. All the losers slamming it are just low-key right-wing supporters who are disappointed it didn't end up like they were thinking it would. It was heading the way they wanted and then when it took a turn they got pissed. They can't fathom the situation, so they have to cry foul. It doesn't fit with their perception of how things "really are" so they have to bash it. It's a fictitious story, but they would have you believe that it's too far removed from reality, which is not the case.
The "critics" trying to rip on technicalities like cinematography or camera work or whatever are just reaching here. I'm a video editor. This film is incredibly shot. Almost every scene is a one-shot continuous camera shot and done perfectly. And these people are complaining about it?! They're just reaching for something that isn't there because the actual subject matter makes them uncomfortable. The lighting in every scene is superb, and the backdrop is unwaveringly urban to the point you can taste the concrete. It's near perfect. It is so well done.
Just watch this film and enjoy it for what it is. Don't let these fake and butt-hurt "reviewers" deprive you of an excellent watch. They always feel the need to come on here and try to dissuade you right away because it's not up their alley, but don't miss out on an overall top-notch flick. -
drimoschalkida5 October 2022ATHENA is an urban war movie with a political touch by Romain Gavras who follows the lead of his father -the Greek well known director and screenplay writer- Costa Gavras. The film is all about how the lives of 3 French siblings with an Algerian descent immerse into chaos after the death of the fourth younger brother under unclear circumstances. The pain of the loss becomes rage and then... BOOM! Everything explodes at ATHENA building complex in Paris and the social strife begins. Although the film has all the necessary elements to be mentioned as a contemporary Greek tragedy and besides the insane long take opening scene it also has a lot of weak spots and blurry motives.
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flix_friend_3948723 September 2022The one single take in the beginning, the first 12 minutes, is amazing and spectacular. It's worth watching the movie just for this.
But the rest ... everybody is pacing around really angry, screaming at each other. Like in a staged play. But somehow I was bored. And often even ennerved. The film was more passing bye than running through me.
I think the biggest mistake they made was not to show the killing of the boy in the beginning.
Note: when doing a revenge film, show at start why the hero has to take revenge. Show the injustice. Otherwise we won't care.
Like your fellow frenchman Gaspar Noe did it in Irreversible. Aaaangeeerrr !!!
Storytelling is not so complicated. Just follow some simple rules. Like: wanna tell a revenge story? Fine. Show the injustice in the beginning. Otherwise we won't care.
The actor for Karim was miscast. He seems to be on the edge of crying most of the time.
Lesson number too: the hero may bleed, but he shalt not cry.
Why the soldier brother blows himself up in the end was beyond me. Was probably done for the visuals. Didn't make any sense. It was grotesque. His transition was not believable for one second. The director should stick to music videos.
Also the character of Sebastien is laughable. He is just a tool. An autist savant in the beginning, he turns into a cool professional bomb builder all of a sudden in the end. Why does he live in Athena anyway? He doesn't fit in.
The film has great visuals, but no soul. The actors scream a lot, but it's just like dogs barking. A lot of noise, nothing behind it.
At times even comical. Especially the scenes with the drug dealer brother are funny.
It's often like that with films of directors who come from commercial videos: great visuals, but empty. Empty shells.
Cold spectacles we don't emphasize with. -
Gordzia26 September 2022I was expecting a lot more from this film because I am long time admirer of both Romain Gavras work in music clips, and acting of Dali Benssalah. First of al good things: visuals!!! Piece of art, starting from first scene all the way to the very last moments of film.
Secondly very good acting by leading roles, although unrealistic emotions at some moments ruined truly epic performance. You could definitely see a lot of talent here, but really bad script, so many plot holes, mistakes and goofs. Shortly speaking film started with somewhat around 8.5 and then steadily going down. No deeper meaning or cliffhangers definitely didn't save overall poor film. 6 is being very generous and only because pros I've mentioned was at high level. -
paul-allaer25 September 2022As "Athena" (2022 release from France; 99 min) opens, a guy of Algerian descent announces at a police station that his younger brother, just 13 yo, has died resulting from police brutality, and that the police is investigating who is responsible. The guy urges for calm. But before we know it, someone throws a Molotov cocktail into the police station, and it sets into motion the looting of the police station... At this point we are less than 10 min into the movie.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from French director Romain Gavros, best known for shooting edgy music videos. Here Gavros brings the fictional tale of a suburban (filmed in a Paris banlieue) uprising following yet another instance of police brutality. While fictional, it feels all too familiar of course. Heads up: the opening sequence that lasts about 10 minutes is insanely intense, and... brought in a single take. In fact the long takes are a recurring feature in the film (I honestly don't know how some of these shots are even possible). The movie's tension is palpable from the get-go and really doesn't let up. The no-names cast is quite good, in particular the main character Abdel, played by French-Algerian actor Dali Bensallah. Bottom line: this revenge crime drama grabbed my attention from start to finish. But if intensive and over the top violence is not your thing, better stay away.
"Athena" premiered earlier this month at the Venice film festival to positive buzz. It started airing on Netflix this weekend. After seeing a positive write-up in Friday's New York Times, I just had to check it out. Glad I did. If you are in the mood for a very intense revenge crime drama set in a French banlieue, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion. -
griffithxjohnson30 December 2022Every aspect is high quality. Put any scene in a vacuum & it's incredible. The issue is that it's the same thing every scene. Minimal plot & character development. Powerful performance & messages but it feels numbingly repetitive.
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. Every aspect is high quality. Put any scene in a vacuum & it's incredible. The issue is that it's the same thing every scene. Minimal plot & character development. Powerful performance & messages but it feels numbingly repetitive.
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. Every aspect is high quality. Put any scene in a vacuum & it's incredible. The issue is that it's the same thing every scene. Minimal plot & character development. Powerful performance & messages but it feels numbingly repetitive. -
mrashtastic8928 November 2022Athena is one of the most surprising films I've seen this year and I think it's safe to say I ended up loving it, I didn't know what to expect going in and this film wonderfully surprised me, while it's basically a retelling of the year between George Floyd's death and the trial in 2021, but it managed to put a few twists and turns in also.
It's a visual spectacle with a brilliant atmosphere, beautiful cinematography and truly bone cracking fight scenes, our main character, Abdel, is brilliant, Dali Benssalah put on a truly raw and powerful performance perfectly portraying the pain we all felt during the time of violence and riots.
The musical score is absolutely wonderful, wow, it's some of the best I've heard since Causeway, Athena manages to give us a driven character story while also having a somewhat breathtaking ending to pull it all together, and I'm proud to say I loved it.
Athena gets an A- -
eddie_baggins26 January 2023A collaboration with French filmmaker Ladj Ly, who co-writes this Netflix released dramatic thriller after he bought the incendiary Les Miserables to our screens a few years ago, Romain Gavras's impressively shot Athena is an above average direct to streaming release that showcases why Gavras should be a director to keep a very close eye on.
Famed in the industry for his work in the commercial and music clip space, with his previous features Notre jour viendra and The World is Yours not really pushing his brand forward in a significant way, Gavras rollicks out of the block with Athena, offering up a 10 minute plus one-shot opening segment that will take your breath away as we are flung headfirst into the chaotic world of a trio of brothers who find themselves in life and death situations on both sides of the law after their youngster brother is killed by a group of French policeman.
It's hard to properly put into words just how well-staged and constructed this opening stanza of Athena is but for all it's qualities, it sets a standard that the film can't quite maintain throughout its brisk 90 minute run-time as Gavras manages to continually impress us with his visual prowess and verve but in a storytelling sense there's a feeling that there's not a lot going on under the surface as a deeper meaning to care or grow attached to those that inhabit Athena's world is unable to be discovered.
There's an undeniable tension to almost every one of Athena's scenes, many that take place in a longer take format and some of the films most white knuckle moments bring to memory films such as Uncut Gems, La Haine and Ladj Ly's own previously mentioned Les Miserables but there's an inescapable feeling and sense that as the tale of Dali Benssalah's militaristic Abdel, Sami Slimane's determined Karim and Ouassini Embarek's gun dealing Moktar goes on, the gaps in Athena's narrative become more apparent and hold Gavras's film back from becoming the special something it threatens to be on more than one occasion.
Weighed up against Netflix's usual products there's no doubt that Athena would rank in the upper class of content the streaming giant has put their name to in recent years and considering the technical mastery and excitement Gavras manages to instil into his effort here, there's no doubt going to be a moment where the French filmmaker knocks something out of the park in a big way.
Final Say -
Opening up with all guns blazing in an unforgettable start, Athena doesn't manage to hold the momentum all the way through its running time but for those seeking a fresh and baggage free affair, Romain Gavras film provides much in the way of entertainment and spectacle.
3 1/2 Molotov Cocktails out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) -
cabeleija25 September 2022We can all appreciate the nice visuals, the camera moves, the nice plays with the lights, the clothes and the place. But too numerous are the drawbacks that come to corrupt the whole movie, and especially when it comes to the content of it.
The acting is very disturbing, sometimes a bit too far from natural reactions, too focused on the script, too played like in theatres not enough realistic as a true movie needs.
As for the content, that's a very checkered issue to showcase that, it says a lot on what these directors want and imagine - a war. That's true to say that there is such a conflict between youngsters from the French hood and police as La Haine showed before, but the dimension is exaggerated, staging these youngsters as true warriors, beating the asses of police which is as we all know not the case - American gang movies know it perfectly.
Briefly, that's a bit awkward to see that, especially when you grow up in these places. However, let's consider that as a cinematic progress on the style, but it's clear that scripts are written by French bourgeois, not people from that place, that the story is written by a the biased opinion of a French bourgeois unashamed of showing that face of the hood: a place of war before a place of nice people, not objective people. -
imseeg28 September 2022The story: RIOTS EXPLODE in the suburbs of Paris when a young French man gets KILLED by the police. Friends and family demand to know which police officer killed their brother and they will riot until their demand is met.
This movie is one long BATTLE between French youth in the suburbs of Paris and the police. It's shot in a war style kind of way, with claustrophic scenes of contineous, intense FIGHTiNG inside and outside of crumbling, highrise appartment buildings in these poor French neighbourhoods.
The intensity of this story is FIERCE. It just doesnt light up. The acting performances are on STEROIDS, with a constant crazed drive in the eyes of the leading characters, who are out of control by RAGE because of the fact that their friend and brother got KILLED by the police.
The photography is a constant WAVE of rushes of ATTACKS through narrow streets and corridors, often filmed on the back of rioters, who are being followed in close up, while fireworks are constantly exploding all around them, which makes this movie even more intense. The sound score is as CLAUSTROPHOBIC and intense as the photography.
This movie has got the look and feel of a real live WAR documentary. It's contineous adrenaline RUSH is breathtaking.
I tried to find out if this story was actually based on real events, but I could not find any information about it in detail. I will add details later on if I find out more about this story...
What makes watching this movie so breathtakingly painful and worrisome is that many similar riots have occurred in France over the last 15 years. Suburban French youth, living in poverty, get to bear the burden of constant police control and harassment, which sometimes results in random deaths of which this movie is a SHIVERING tale... -
opinionssimple27 September 2022Younger brother of Karim is killed by few people wearing police uniforms.
Karim's elder brother employed in the Force next day comes in front of media and ask his community and Karim to wait for investigation But Karim wants the killers to be identified by police in a single day so he burnt down a police station and looted the guns with his gang members.
Karim forcibly took fridge, TV's and other items from every flat in the society to throw at police and all the members who also live there are stupid enough to give it to them.
Now Karim is also ready to burn or murder his two other brothers who want to save a cop life.
So to know the names of murderers of 1 brother, he wants to kill 2 others. Height of stupidity again.
In short besides all this stupid logics I think it is giving a subtle message to all Karims in the society to have patience and don't resort to violence because eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. -
tobiasasutters25 September 2022This film takes a shallow, dramatized and narrow lens on the conflict between poverty stricken communities following a horrific incident involving the police and young child on the estate. It tries to portray a gritty and chaotic realism but fails to live up these ordeals by blending fantastical elements alongside unsophisticated plot writing and character development.
Expecting more going into this and came away disappointed due to the constant use of tropes, unrealistic characters and dialogue. Substance is replaced by chanting and an unlimited supply of fireworks.
Some of the scenes were visually appealing and the use of single shot sequences (although inadequate on many other levels) were impressive. -
info-19036-1612325 September 2022...too much of everything. It makes the impression that the director and the d.o.p. Were working for their reel and their reputation instead for the film. The long shots, the fire works, the steadycam shots, the drone shots...everything is kinda used all the time and frequently without serving any purpose except of being there and looking cool. And thats the biggest problem of the film. It feels like the wet dream of any music video director, but not like an generic and authentic film. It lacks of bravery to look ugly...sure it looks good if a dude on a horse is riding through the smoke weaving the french flag in the middle of a revolt...but does it really need to be there?
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Powerful, and brilliantly full of cinematic visual energy.
"Athena" succeeds from the first 10 mins continuous shot in the opening scene to soak you in with its fast pace, and ongoing tension that pushes you on the edge and doesn't fail to blow your mind with its climactic chaotic beauty and changing emotions.
Simple story executed big with great performances. I would've loved to see a bit more depth in the story, It would've strengthened the premise and given it further narrative depth than the stylistic approach, which I didn't mind much.
The cinematography is the strongest element of the movie, the visuals were striking!! It's highly impressive on the technical level, the camera work delivered such an incredible dynamic immersion that transformed you into the action. -
marcgoncalvesfamille24 September 2022The first half of the movie was entertaining. The visual parallel between modern ghetto and ancient citadel was very apppealing.
The drama building between the brothers is well developed until a certain point.
Indeed, the charaters are very caricatural (the good, the angry and the afraid) and the switch from good boy to mad man of one of the brothers killed the scenario for me.
It had a Game of Thrones Daenerys mad queen vibe, and i couldn't take the rest of the movie seriously.
Worth the watch for the cinematic and acting but not for the scenario.
I found the kinda similar movie "Les Misérables" better, as it was way more realistic. -
ryanpersaud-5941522 December 2022Athena is a bleak, almost dystopian look at the near future of France, a country familiar with racial tensions. We follow three brothers: Karim, a revolutionary leader of the community in revolt, Athena (Salimane), Abdel, a respected military man (Dessalah), and Moktar, a drug dealer (Embarek), as they reel from the death of their brother Idir, at the hands of police.
The death, supposedly the third in one month, leads to an uprising reminiscent of the 1871 Paris Commune, where the city essentially seceded from France for a year. Athena follows the chaos and starts with possibly the best intro of 2022: a blistering, intense one take that introduces the movie with an incredible bang. It's so good I've watched the intro itself three times.
But Athena doesn't let up from there; this isn't a movie that bogs itself down in drama and conversation. It's high octane, kinetic, and a feast for the senses. This is a gorgeous movie; the cinematography so perfectly captures the chaos and finds beauty in it. There are literal shots from this movie that I could see being album covers. The music is epic; orchestral mixed with booming synth that gives this very contemporary story a timelessness. It's as if we're watching an ancient siege take place in the 21st century. I can't gush enough about the amazing music, especially that sinister main theme.
The performances are also excellent; Salimane and Dessalah in particular convey a lot with their facial expressions; I fully understood the dynamics of their complicated relationship even though they shared the screen together quite briefly.
When I first watched Athena, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of substance to the story; while we get clues as to why the anger that is displayed in the film - the anger of immigrant communities vis a vis their interactions with the police in suburban Paris - the world we're entering isn't *fully* disclosed to us.
There are also some plot developments that I don't think make a ton of sense, and the movie begins to falter a bit for me by Act III. There's a plot development and we're sort of rushed into a the third act; the people I watched this movie with were shocked the movie was ending so quickly. It felt like we could've and should've gotten more.
But, the fact that I could watch this movie with others and know they'd be entertained is kind of a miracle. The French tend to make films about their society collapsing along racial and religious lines quite a bit. It's something I would never really expect to see from American filmmakers, and it's incredible to see it so often from France (I'm thinking of movies like Frontieres, Les Miserables etc.).
If you want to introduce audiences to French cinema, you really can't get better than Athena. It's an incredible, accessible, and very rewatchable movie. I highly recommend it, because I guarantee you're probably not going to see anything like it. -
beatrice_gangi28 September 2022Director Romain Gavras is known for his involvement in music videos, which is clearly visible in his film Athena. Athena indeed stands out for its cinematography and tackiness. The movie is a continuous virtuosity with the camera, explosions of colours and action scenes. Unfortunately, however, it fails in the writing, especially of the three main characters, whose actions and behaviour completely lose sense around the middle of the film, sacrificed for the quest for spectacularity. The message the director wants to give loses power because of this, and as a result of his reticence to take a real stand, something exemplified in the rather disappointing and defensive final twist.
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Athena - there is a reason the movie is called that - and a reason for my summary headline. So no pun intended - at least not from my side of things. Athena was (or is, if the Greek Gods still live but are just forgotten) the Goddess of Justice. The name is also the name of a building - but again Gavras of Greek descent knows why he chose that name.
You do not have to know this to to enjoy the movie - or understand it in any shape or form. You will be able to understand the rage - the disappointment. You may not agree with how that is channeled and used ... violence begets violence. There is a vicious circle ... and maybe if you agree you may think there is no other way to make people understand ... to actually get results ... but is it really helping? Whatever the case may be - the movie is powerful. Visually and otherwise ... the long shots are amazing to say the least. The effects are spot on - again no pun intended.
If you are a fan already you do not need more convincing ... but Gavras seems to have learned or rather got it from his father (are we talking legacy here?) ... well done! No pun intended. -
A movie that never misses a beat it has some solid moments for breathing space and then again picks up the same old flow of bang! Bang! Bang! It follows it's journey through few main character arcs and everyone nails them. A film where you feel like following the rage, anger and uncertainties that teenagers can bring to a revolution and it just never stops until the end. If you say about the master class of Romain Gavras then it's there in this film. The awe stunning effects of visual delight is there that's what makes it stand out. Amidst chaos and mayhem you get to meet with the characters who care for each other though there paths are so different. However things take turn and there's a climax too good to deny.
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matildabalogun25 September 2022I rated this movie the day it came out but for some reason. It wasn't posted. This movie lacked depth. The story line was weak. They had a great plot to be honest. And they could have done so much more. It would have been a tear jerker but unfortunately they didn't maximize the plot. The only thing good was the camera that they used to shoot this movie. The movie lacked greatly. Just flashing lights, fireworks and a lot of shouting and fighting. If that's what it takes to make a great movie. A lot of movies would have been awesome. Like I said the plot had potential. But the writer and director didn't know how to maximize it and it just fell short. It's a good movie. But it's nothing intense really.
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Social dilemmas in any modern city could explode with a single act of prejudicial racial violence, creating a domino effect that shatters a whole community as seen in this Shakespearean-like taunt political saga where three brothers from different moral grounds take to battle with their own demons, and each other.
Each brother represents a section of a housing estate. The obedient brother, who carries reason and upholds the religious faith. The young hot-headed revolutionary brother, seeking vengeance for his younger brother's death, supposedly by police officers. And the lawless brother, whose main interest during the riots is to protect his livelihood - duffle bags of drugs. The three feud during the violent mayhem as the housing estate becomes a fortified battle field against the police force. The ultimate outcome is the violent solution converts the reasoning brother to a radical (as is the case with those converted to terrorism after witnessing the violent death of loved ones under Western force).
Director Romain Gavras (son of the great, Costa-Gavras) has created an intense visual explosion with long takes that rattle the senses. It throws the viewer into the thick of the riots, feeling the confusion of the unreasoning minds. It is a film that shows what could be, if the racial great divide is not mended. -
ricardo_naud8 October 2022I'll keep it short.
What's Good:- Pace
- Camerawork
- Visuals
- Sense of chaos
What's Bad:- Coherence
- Logic
- Cliches
It starts well, it's fast paced and full of action. The camera work following you through nonstop feels good, walks you around nicely. However, around middle of the movie there is a turn of events that doesn't make much sense. Someone changes its mind way too quick about something, losing total coherence with the act, which seems to be completely forced just as means to justify some sort of cliche meaningful reflection-- there isn't one. The movie would have been better off if it didn't go that route and had a more logical ending. -
Top_Dawg_Critic25 September 2022This movie felt like the result of combining a music video with a soap opera, competing for a single long-take filming trophy, and it doesn't win in any department. You'd think the director's filmmaking experience is only making music videos and short films. Wait, that's exactly the problem here.
The single-take opening scenes was decent for about five minutes, then it just got monotonous. In the normally comfortable 99 min runtime, there's maybe a 20 min window of relevant story pertaining to the film's conflict. The rest is all just overly stylized filler - mostly ridiculous and riddled with plot holes.
If someone asked me what this movie was about, I'd answer it's about a bunch of angry spoiled Gen Z'ers - with access to endless fireworks, resorting to escalating violence with no regard to any one else or any consequences. Albeit a true evaluation of the times, the fact this film prides itself more on that factor, and displaces any logical attempts at a resolution, really misses the mark for the message it's trying to achieve. As much as I like action in a film, this was more of constant and relentless infantile anarchy, and that is nothing close to any enjoyable action.
Although all casting and performances were great, especially in profiling the different attitudes and beliefs between the the brothers and their agendas, it focused too much on the anger rather than a solution, or any attempt thereof. The writing was just too convenient and scattershot with a bunch of nonsense and infantile themes. What's even worse is the ridiculous dialogue most of the characters had, such as the stepbrother constantly yelling and degrading his gang buddies. But the biggest writing flaw was the ridiculousness of the military brother beating his stepbrother to death. That was just some dumb soap opera antics to get a rise out of the viewers. You're grieving one brother, then the bipolar psycho kicks in and you kill your stepbrother. Then all of a sudden your life is worthless and you want to end it. So what's the point of this film? I could go on with many other plot and technical issues, but there's "no point".
Even the score, albeit fitting, stops complimenting the story and starts to overtake the filming when it just becomes too constant and overbearing. I would've enjoyed this film more by muting it, and playing hip-hop music in the background for a 99 min gang-banger music video. It's a generous 5/10 only for the great performances by mostly newb actors, specifically Sami Slimane as Karim.