User Reviews

I felt that Athena was an hour and a half of wasted time. The film is filled with screaming and violent scenes, but its plot is unconvincing, underdeveloped, and ultimately unfair. What’s more troubling is how it perpetuates harmful stereotypes, portraying Muslims as violent, ignorant, or involved in drugs. This is far from the ****, in the Middle East, and particularly in Lebanon, we have riots and revolutions. But these are not senseless acts of destruction—they are born out of desperation, a fight for basic human rights like food, education, and healthcare. The struggles we face under corrupt governments and systemic failures push us to demand the bare minimum for survival, not to wreak chaos for no reason, as depicted in the **** film fails to reflect the depth of our struggles or the humanity behind our actions. Instead, it sensationalizes and misrepresents, leaving a frustratingly shallow and biased narrative.

Athena seems to focus more on the technical details than to give us deep enough characters. But the way it potrays the brutal tension between sides is... something else,

However calculated for effect, it is a very good mix of everything it wants to show. The unsolvable situation, the different brothers (former soldier, overzealous martyr, dealer)... Everything is here: the situation of former immigrants, the intractability of acceptance, the different culture and a potentially inactive (in the end very active) possibly terrorist. The opening cut is amazingly good. Actually a strong 7-8/10, but it goes up to 9/10. (10/10 clearly "La haine" : )

(Mauro Lanari) "Urban epic symphony immortalized in a giant video clip with a magniloquent epic breath," self-sabotaged by an aestheticization of violence and anger, by a pathos that overwhelms the logos tripping over the sensationalism of the melò action, pumped up and pompous: once finished mastering drones, steadicam and long take, it's all over. Spurious fruit of the virtuosic form of Cuaròn/Iñárritu and of the theme of the banlieues in flames of Kassovitz/Ladj Ly, it is not clear to me why prize after prize rains down on them while Gavras jr. would be "hysterical, unproblematic and ideologically disconcerting".

Glorification of vigilantism and crimes disguised as victims. Unreflective and staged like a third-rate war film, the film does not deal with social problems either emotionally or in terms of content. The film may be an outpouring for young petty criminals. everyone else shouldn't even tune in and waste their time with this nonsense.

O filme é um caldeirão de explosões sociais: xenofobia, pobreza, truculência policial, tudo isso em meio às novas redes sociais e canais de comunicação organizando aquele micromundo. Meio teatralizado e com várias cenas sem cortes, a violência, ainda que plastificada, causa certo reboliço e não está de forma gratuita. O ritmo é excelente, embora peque por alguns excessos, como os diálogos, por exemplo, que poderiam ser melhor explorados em certas pausas (veja como o filme cresce quando ocorrem poucos momentos de contemplação). Tudo isso na França, berço da civilização moderna que nos deu o legado da "igualdade, liberdade e fraternidade". Só não é uma obra-prima porque lhe falta mais densidade, já que as cenas de ação respondem por toda a mensagem que quer passar, em resumo, uma guerra civil nascente. O fato de seguir a família de 4 irmãos, cada um com um papel social diferente, fez com que o roteiro, com falhas, se elevasse, uma vez que temos aqui diferentes pontos de vista que se entrelaçam a todo o tempo, sem pausas para pensarmos qual o lado certo de toda a confusão. Um excelente filme para percebermos a influência dos extremismos no mundo onde a tecnologia cabe no bolso, onde ainda há a presença da exclusão urbana em meio à inclusão digital, ou seja, num mundo cada vez mais tecnológico cujas raízes da desigualdade não conseguiram ser liquidadas.

After the release of a video showing police killing a young Algerian boy, the titular (fictional) neighborhood erupts in an angry protest. The action revolves around 3 of the boy's brothers, each of whom has different goals from stopping the riots to ramping up the violence. While the subject certainly remains relevant, it's the impressive skills of director Romain Gavras that gives the film its bravura. He's the son of Costa-Gavras, best known for Z and Missing, and his ability to creating drama out of chaos is simply brilliant. While some of the scenes go on too long, Gavras' impressively staged riot scenes (esp. the extended opening sequence) and the probing camera that offers human insight combine to create a stirring story with ominous consequences.

The constant threat of racial intolerance and police brutality, put on the table in a drama narrated in an almost documentary style that makes one think that it is based on real events. It is to freeze the blood of the most indifferent.

Intense film from the beginning, with a story that surprises at the end. Good performances, precise direction and great soundtrack

Not as expected poor selection of main characters good sounds and meaning, but I feel like scenes are not connected.

'Athena' is a punishing experience, and not in the best way. The tracking shots are amazing, rivaling those of Emmanuel Lubezki in Alfonso Cuaron's films. But the constant shouting, the flares, and the permanent movement start to become exhausting. Also, the story feels very lackluster at the end, especially with the final reveal, which feels cheap and kind of negates the supposed film thesis. Romain Gavras is an outstanding music video director, but this is what happens when a renowned figure like him jumps to feature filmmaking; the lack of character development and style over substance are common problems. In the beginning, at least, 'Athena' has very noble intentions: frame the social consequences of police brutality. But the lack of a real story turns into a well-choreographed 90-minute video clip and nothing more.

The narrative goes out the window, and yes, some of what it does at many points feels more exploitative than anything else, especially considering themes like police violence and racism, but I get that the idea is chaos and not lecturing, and if you do as I did, once you accept that that's its angle, you'll start to enjoy it better.