Hamza Meziani

A tour-de-force provocation by French auteur Bertrand Bonello, Nocturama imagines a teenage act of terrorism in Paris freed from ideology and motivation. The first half proceeds like a thriller, the second, like a siege film set in a luxe department store.. A seductive portrait of young, lost souls.

In a boho Parisian hotel, two sexually and politically ambiguous Italians romp through a succession of blatantly artificial set pieces, stoking the prejudices of staff members and guests. Outside, riots rage and protesters march, threatening to spill into the feverish atmosphere gathering indoors.