Athena

Die Art und Weise, wie das Publikum in das Getöse der Demonstration hineingezogen wird, ist bombastisch. Die erste lange Aufnahme kann man als technisches Kunstfahren bezeichnen. Der durch Zorn angetriebene Motor des Films wird bis zum Ende nicht langsamer und erinnert mehrmals an die Bemühungen der Filmemacher, ausgezeichnet gestaltete und sich dramatisch steigernde lange Aufnahmen zu drehen. An die Figuren kommt das Publikum aber nicht nah genug ran. Deshalb hat es nicht die Möglichkeit, die Hölle in ihrer Haut zu erleben. Sogar über die vernünftigste Figur erfährt man nichts Persönliches – nur das, wer ihr Bruder war. Mit einer so einfachen Handlungsprämisse ohne verknüpfende Emotionen und ein höheres künstlerischen Übergreifen wirkt Athena wie ein oberflächliches Konstrukt. (14.12.2022)

Ghetto War from France! Athena is a relative of films like Les Miserables and Short, and anyone who has a soft spot for films like this will be pleased. Director Romain Gavras engulfs the audience with a dense atmosphere from the very beginning. The opening ambush of the police station is really intense, ruthless and quite chilling (filmed in one take!). The tragic death of a boy in a housing estate triggers utter anarchy, chaos and civil war in the streets, which throws three brothers into a nasty situation. Not much of a story here, it's pretty simple, but it works. Sami Slimane's young thug capo was perfect, he puts on an incredible performance for an unknown actor and I totally bought the whole role (I enjoyed his image and speech). The great cinematography that shows all the chaos almost in one take, the wonderfully haunting music and the bleak atmosphere worked wonderfully here. Towards the end, the film shifts more to drama and the pace slows down slightly, but this can be forgiven. An adrenaline ride as it should be. 75% (25.09.2022)

Here, it's clear that form won out over content. Technically speaking, I haven't seen anything better from France so far. Just that chaotic 10-minute opening with no cuts left me stunned. The film offers more such scenes; audiovisually, it’s truly top-notch. However, this detachment really hurts it. Some characters emerge, but the film fails to develop them thoroughly (and I can imagine that with more care, the entire brotherly trio could have been handled much better). That’s why the ending didn’t hit me as emotionally as the creators probably intended. On the other hand, the runtime isn’t excessive, something is always happening on screen, and it mainly gives you a glimpse into the significant unrest in France. Don’t expect more than a decent one-time viewing, though. For me, it's 6/10. (16.10.2022)