Novembre
Cédric Jimenez, France, 2022o
This police thriller, nominated for seven Césars, is set after 13 November 2015, when a series of Islamist attacks in Paris caused a bloodbath without precedent. In the Bataclan concert venue alone, 90 people died. Minutes later, police counter-terrorism units were on the scene and began their feverish search for the perpetrators. The film is a gripping demonstration of how the complex apparatus of surveillance officers, undercover agents, commanders and stosstrups worked together to bring the main culprits to justice within five days.
Cédric Jimenez and his crew grippingly unravel how a vast, highly complex police apparatus of supervisors, undercover agents, commanders and stosstrups worked together to apprehend the main perpetrators of the Paris attacks of 13 November 2015. Is this a glorification of modern policing? Counter question: who has the expertise to judge? Either way, the film comes to the unglamorous conclusion that, in human terms, there were only losers in this outwardly triumphant large-scale operation. However, quite a few winners are likely to emerge from the film's reappraisal at the César awards on 24 February.
Andreas FurlerCédric Jimenez ne montre aucune image des attentats et ne s’autorise aucun effet de mise en scène ni pathos. Il livre un récit nerveux, presque clinique, de ces cinq jours de tension extrême.
La RédactionNovembre n’est effectivement conçu de son point de vue de réalisateur que comme un film d'action pure, fonctionnant sur l'enchaînement des évènements (vus uniquement du côté policier) le plus brut possible. Et le résultat se révèle d'une efficacité redoutable, comme un Zero Dark Thirty dépouillé de sa dimension tragique.
Sylvestre PicardGalleryo
