Netflix is one of the few streaming services that gives a platform and investment in movies and television shows that are produced around practically every part of the world. Its catalog has a very grand variety of, for example, Danish, Spanish, Italian, and French shows and movies. In addition to the great French erotic thriller No Limit, this year Netflix has released one of the best French movies produced by them, and for some reason, it hasn’t gotten the attention it so dutifully deserves.
Athena is a French political movie. The story is brilliantly directed by Romain Gravas, who created a spectacle about modern issues in merely 90 minutes. He is the son of the famous director Costa-Gavras, who is also known for his social-political movies. Romain co-wrote Athena with filmmaker Ladj Ly, who is known for his Oscar-nominated and Cannes-winning 2019 film Lés Miserábles. The movie starts with a punch and doesn’t let the audience slide through this story without feeling everything the characters are experiencing. Athena is an immersive experience in a violent and cruel world that unfortunately is a reality for various people.
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Athena starts right after a boy is killed by the police, and the video of the murder went viral. One of the boy’s brothers, Abdel (Dali Benssalah), who is a part of the military, explains that the police force is going after the people on the video. At the same time, his other brother Karim (Sami Slimane) arrives at the press conference, and he has different means to get revenge for his little brother’s death. From that point on, is a violent chase and escape between this broken family and the police.
Romain Gavras Directs Athena
Netflix
Romain Gavras created a narrative that could be compared to a Greek tragedy, which is only enhanced by the housing complex that is named after the goddess of wisdom, Athena. The director told the Irish Times that he grew up with Greek tragedies, not Disney films. His defeatist story about violence and family is enhanced by every incredible shot, most of which appear to be long sequences with barely any cut. These sequences make the audience hold their breath in anticipation of what might happen, just to be able to breathe for a second — that is, until the next sequence begins. This, combined with the handheld camera technique that is present almost the entire film, makes the viewer really feel like they are running in the housing complex alongside these characters.
Athena has a very intelligent use of cinematography. As night falls, flames, flares, and smoke fill the screen against the dark background of the sky, creating a powerful and beautiful world at war. Every decision really created the dark universe that the story is trying to convey. Gavras was able to enhance every anger and sadness these characters feel by the way he shot the movie. It is, without a doubt, one of his finest works.
A Human Story
Initially, what first catches the audience’s attention is the fast-paced story and violence, but what holds it all together and really makes the movie so great is the emotional rawness of grief that is underneath the main characters’ every action. The meaning of family, loss, and the hatred that comes from being ignored and brutalized for too long are translated incredibly well by the superb acting of the main ensemble cast.
Athena is, before anything else, a human story. The characters and their deeply set goals of how to proceed after losing a brother are what gives depth to the movie and elevates it beyond a normal thriller. The moments where they are alone, when their grief becomes too much for them to hide — that’s when the movie creates a link with the audience. It was also fundamental that there is a police officer that has a family who is used to humanize the police force, showing that everyone has a lot to lose, not only the protagonists.
Athena is a heartbreaking journey to watch and is the type of movie that stays with the viewer for a while after the movie is over. The audience doesn’t get long dialogues expressing what the characters are feeling, but it is not necessary. Their bold and dangerous actions to seek out some sort of relief are enough.
Athena is a Necessary Watch
Athena should get more recognition than it has until now. Not only is it beautiful to watch and the family drama involved is incredibly moving, but there are some very current themes that the movie tackles. The movie’s main narrative is about xenophobia and religious prejudice (especially by far-right extremist groups) and the results of police brutality. And, in the case of Athena, a child.
Beware that even though these problems are the foundation of the film, they are not deeply explored. They could be considered a backstory that the filmmaker decided not to dive deep into the cause but the consequence. Gravas told The Guardian,“My favorite movies are visual films where you don’t get a message. You get emotions through the power of the images.” This is a perfect way to describe the political warfare that is Athena.
So, if you are looking for a new perspective on these matters, or a movie that dutifully discusses them and didactically tells you waht to think, this is not it. Athena focuses on what happens when a group of people have had enough and decide to take matters into their own hands. It portrays the consequences of problems the audience has already deep knowledge of, because they are happening everywhere around the world at an alarming rate.
