Athena
Atenea
2022 · France · 99 min
- Director
- Romain Gavras
- Screenplay
- Romain Gavras, Ladj Ly
What it is about
After the death of a teenager of Algerian origin during a police operation, anger spreads through Athena, a sprawling housing complex on the outskirts of Paris. The dead boy's three brothers, each on a very different path, find themselves at odds as the violence escalates and the media takes notice. The film follows their choices in the middle of a conflict that quickly slips out of their control.
How it was made
Athena was produced by Iconoclast and Lyly and shot in 2021 in Évry-Courcouronnes, a Parisian suburb. Romain Gavras directed it and co-wrote the script with Ladj Ly. Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane and Anthony Bajon lead the cast. The film switches between French and Arabic dialogue and aims for a relentless pace and a large-scale visual style.
Reception and legacy
It premiered in September 2022 at the Venice International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Lion, and soon after arrived on Netflix. Metacritic gave it a weighted score of 72 out of 100, reflecting generally favorable reviews that praise the direction and technical work, though some critics fault it for lacking depth. French far-right politicians, including Gilbert Collard, presented it as a harbinger of a possible civil war.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
A real setting
The film was shot in 2021 in Évry-Courcouronnes, a town in the Paris metropolitan area.
A presence on TikTok
Days before migrants clashed with police in the Austrian town of Linz in October 2022, the film had been cited as a reference on TikTok.
More films by Romain Gavras
The World Is Yours
Our Day Will ComeOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.