The focus of the French action drama are the three brothers Moktar (Ouassini Embarek), Abdel (Dali Benssalah) and Karim (Sami Slimane). Their 13-year-old brother Idir is said to have been killed in an altercation with the police.
Because of the death of his brother, the soldier Abdel returns from the front to a Parisian suburb. At home he finds that the family is torn apart: his younger brother Karim only thinks about revenge, while his older brother Moktar has drifted into crime.
The two blame the police for Idir’s death. Abdel tries to resolve the emerging tensions – but he doesn’t succeed. The situation escalates. The high-rise settlement called Athena, where the siblings live, turns into a besieged fortress thanks to Karim and other youngsters. They arm themselves with pyrotechnics and engage in street battles with the police.
According to director Romain Gavras, Athena could take place at any time in the past or in the future. The film is inspired by the Greek tragedy that has always interested Gavras. Behind every war there is a manipulation – history repeats itself again and again, “from the Trojan War to the wars of the present”, writes the director in a statement on the occasion of the Venice Biennale.
The 97-minute feature film has been available on Netflix since September 23, 2022. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in early September.
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Source: Nachrichten
