How do you evoke the Paris attacks? In recent years, a number of works have taken up the subject from a variety of angles, from the Netflix documentary series Fluctuat nec mergitur to Cédric Jimenez's police reconstruction Novembre. Revoir Paris focuses on the victims and their reconstruction. Inspired by her brother's survival on the night of the Bataclan attack, director Alice Winocour said she wanted to tell the story of victims' resilience and defense mechanisms. At the 48th César ceremony, Viriginie Efira won the César for Best Actress.
Mia, played by Virginie Efira, finds herself by chance in a brasserie one evening, when an attack suddenly occurs. In the weeks that follow, she has virtually no memory of that horrific night. She decides to investigate, in order to piece together what happened and finally return to a normal life.
By taking on a subject that is still very recent for those who lived through it, Revoir Paris shakes up every scene. The still-vivid wound brings back bad memories and is deeply moving. The bombing sequence is hard to sustain, and the rest of the film constantly evokes this immense pain, whether with the other victims - whom Mia gets to know and who, each in their own way, try to heal their post-traumatic syndromes - or with her loved ones, who obviously no longer see her in the same way.
The technical work behind the film is prodigious, from the stifling sound to the cinematography of Paris, which has rarely been portrayed in this way on film. It also boasts a prodigious cast, led by Virginie Efira, who plays one of her best roles, as well as Benoît Magimel, who plays one of the victims. Revoir Paris is a great film. It was one of our favorites at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was presented in the Directors' Fortnight, and it's also one of our favorites of the year.
The trailer :
