The film knows exactly what it's audience would like to see, but what it's withholding is integral to it's statement. This can be a difficult pill to swallow as it forgoes many of the simple pleasures of a conventional movie, testing both your patience and suspension of disbelief in the process.

It makes a group of terrorists into the central protagonists, but makes no attempt to offer any explanation for their actions. You keep waiting for a big reveal that will make it all seem justified, but it's absence leaves the film in a moral purgatory.

They come together to stage their attack in an almost heist movie like fashion, without any of the flair of say, Oceans 11. Then they retreat to a mall, which functions artistically to highlight the consumerist hypocrisy of our would be anarchists, but also makes absolutely no sense to the literal narrative, as it's clearly a terrible hiding place.

The pacing is deliberately slow, encouraging the audience to read between the lines of the minutia, though it does occasionally pick up at points. While it does seem to succeed at it's own intentions, it's impenetrable minimalism will probably alienate all but the most tolerant film buffs.

Nocturama is a tale, and not a fairy tale, rather a nightmare tale. We see young people from all cast, age and race preparing some bombings over Paris. Their targets are all revealing the major discomforts in french society. After the bombings, they meet and hide in a big store after the closing where they spend the night having fun with the best luxury items.

The first part made me think of Le Pont Du Nord by Jacques Rivette, with the characters crossing places and preparing the plots. Then the second part made me think of Zombie by Romero with that group surviving in a big store. What is surprising is the precision of the camera movements very close to the characters. And as they are a lot of different places, the camera is always surprisingly inventive.

Yes, there is a strong cut between the first terrorist part and the second which forgets totally the bombing story to see what happens to these young people in this luxury paradise. And from then, audiences get puzzled because expecting more fiction about terrorism, for what and for whom they are fighting for, but nothing of the sort : just a chronicle of delinquents.

Until .... Definitely underground movie, not commercial.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

*Plot and ending analyzed*

An overlong and extended pretentious foray into the metaphysical aspects of violence, this film is not without its interest, yet it fails ultimately.

A group of youth, who seem to be idiotic, as well as without any clear ideals, wander what seems like forever in the Paris subways and streets. You can tell right off that they're up to no good. No one pays them any attention.

Bombs explode and they all rendezvous at some shopping mall. There they become even more disinterested and fatigued. More dull scenes fill in the gaps until the fateful ending.

Could have been a five minute film treatise, instead, Director Bertrand Bonello drags it to past the 2 hour mark.

Extras include Director Bertrand Bonello's 'short films', equally tedious, and an interview with another pompous and overblown Frenchman (interviewer) praising Director Bertrand Bonello's 'merits'.