‘Athena’: Venice Review

Dir: Romain Gavras. France. 2022. 97mins.

Wielding an ambitious visual strategy and volatile political commentary, Athena explodes but then fizzles, its often arresting images slowly undone by fuzzy ideas and a self-important air. In his third feature, French filmmaker Romain Gavras attacks hot-button issues in his homeland, including police brutality and systemic inequality, with the blunt force of a Molotov cocktail — just one weapon unleashed in this engrossing, frustrating thriller about a riot sweeping across the Paris projects. With many of the dazzlingly choreographed scenes shot in one take (or, at least, meant to resemble one take), the picture announces itself as an urgent bulletin about modern social ills, although its emotional pyrotechnics are less persuasive than their technical counterparts.  

Works better as a brash, immersive action spectacle than a thought-provoking political thriller

Athena plays in competition at Venice, where it’s prepared to provoke debate, maybe even a little controversy. Not unlike 1917, the film is something of a war drama and audiences will be wowed by the craftsmanship that went into its extended, frenetic single-take sequences. Athena streams through Netflix starting September 23, although the big screen will amplify the strengths of a picture shot in IMAX. 

As the story begins, tragedy has struck again in France: yet another youth has been senselessly murdered by local police. The opening scene establishes Athena’s approach as well as its central conflict: loyal military man Abdel (Dali Benssalah), brother of the victim Idir, is attending a press conference, which is ambushed by protestors led by Abdel’s younger brother Karim (newcomer Sami Slimane), setting in motion first a riot and then a dizzying escape by van by Karim and his cohorts, all filmed in one take. The unrest soon turns a housing project outside of the city into a war zone, pitting brother against brother over the next harrowing few hours.  

From Birdman to 1917, there have been memorable recent examples of the one-take aesthetic and, as audiences become more familiar with the technique, there’s a temptation to be distracted trying to figure out how Gavras (The World Is Yours) and cinematographer Matias Boucard pulled off their astonishing set pieces. Still, it’s a credit to all involved that Athena exudes breathless energy alongside its technical prowess. GENER8ION’s operatic score only enhances the sense of armageddon as car chases and feverish confrontations between protestors and law enforcement unspool with seeming chaotic unpredictability. And yet, Gavras has firm control over his orchestrated mayhem, the eruption of colour, sound and movement sometimes stunning.  

For all of its flexing of cinematic skill, however, Athena starts to lose momentum once the initial headlong rush gives way to the actual narrative. Abdel is devastated about his brother’s killing, but he’s determined to follow proper legal protocols so Idir’s murderers can be brought to justice — whereas fierier Karim simply wants to burn everything to the ground. (They have a third brother, a criminal named Moktar, played by Ouassini Embarek, who is more aligned with Karim’s way of thinking.) But because neither Abdel nor Karim are well-defined characters, their conflict feels like grist for Gavras’ visual showmanship. Even more disappointing, as Athena hints at a possible plot twist and leans toward the didactic in its exploration of how best to confront inequality, the brothers become mouthpieces for clashing political viewpoints instead of nuanced individuals.  

As a result the film — written by Gavras, Ladj Ly (who won the 2019 Cannes Jury Prize for Les Miserables) and Elias Belkeddar — works better as a brash, immersive action spectacle than a thought-provoking political thriller. Benssalah is commanding as the conflicted Abdel, who has devoted his entire life to being an honourable soldier, but is torn between devotion to his family and his wavering belief that the state can do good in the world. When Athena has Abdel pivot unexpectedly, the actor brings hyperbolic intensity to the surprising turn of events. But Benssalah’s stormy commitment only underlines what’s otherwise lacking in Athena, which too often mistakes histrionics for high-octane drama.

There’s no questioning the seriousness of Gavras’ purpose — nor the doomsday anxiety of a filmmaker who views France as a powder keg ready to detonate over racial and class divisions. But because Athena is ratcheted up so high so often, the film begins to come across as cartoonish rather than serve as a fervent wake-up call. Gavras strains for provocation with his finale, doling out tidy dramatic ironies that go for cheap theatrics. But as enrapturing as Athena is in its bulldozing ferocity, it’s a pity its underlying themes aren’t as seamlessly executed.