nocturama (bertrand bonello, 2016)
this film by bertrand bonello is a terrorism thriller like no other, recalling robert bressons the devil, probably as much as it does george a. romeros dawn of the dead. we first follow a group of tense, shifty adolescents as they prowl the streets and subways of paris, learning through carefully delineated sequences that theyre already well underway with a bombing plot. and then it becomes something familiar, yet altogether different, as these subversives tuck away inside a shopping mall and lose themselves in consumer culture clothes, televisions, toys, and a stirring soundtrack that includes blondie, chief keef, shirley bassey, bonellos menacing electronic score, and willow smith. will they survive the unseen, encroaching authorities or, as the walls close in, will they even survive each other nocturama forgoes easy answers, making way for one of the 21st centurys most stunning cinematic experiences.
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