Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- provocative
- paranoid
- claustrophobic
- late night viewing
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found Bertrand Bonello's film provocative, stylistically assured, and suspenseful, while divided over its opaque politics, repellant characters, and sometimes self-conscious aesthetics.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The young attackers' beliefs and intentions remain deliberately unexplained rather than being organized into a conventional ideological backstory.
The group shelters overnight in a department store, where luxury displays and commodities become a surreal backdrop to their political revolt.
The attackers condemn contemporary society while moving through its commercial spaces and remaining shaped by materialist culture.
The plot follows several young participants across Paris and later gathers them in the department store without reducing the group to a single perspective.
Films like Nocturama, and why
La Chinoise
Shared political radicalism, youth disillusionment, provocative ambiguity, and French New Wave-inflected formal experimentation.
The Dreamers
Shared urban terrorism premise, alienated young protagonists, elliptical structure, and tense critique of consumer society.
Athena
Shared politically charged urban suspense, morally repellent protagonists, and confrontational social critique.
Christiane F.
Shared radical youth politics, claustrophobic group dynamics, and unsettling questions about ideology and violence.
Movie Details
- Director
- Bertrand Bonello
- Release Date
- 2016-08-31
- Runtime
- 131 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (252)
Cast
- Finnegan Oldfield
- Vincent Rottiers
- Hamza Meziani
- Manal Issa
- Laure Valentinelli
- Martin Petit-Guyot
- Jamil McCraven
- Rabah Nait Oufella
- Ilias Le Doré
- Robin Goldbronn
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Nocturama about?
- A disillusioned youth collective carries out a coordinated attack across Paris before hiding overnight among the seductive ruins of consumer culture.
- What is Nocturama like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Nocturama as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Nocturama violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Nocturama as moderate.
- What did critics think of Nocturama?
- Critics broadly found Bertrand Bonello's film provocative, stylistically assured, and suspenseful, while divided over its opaque politics, repellant characters, and sometimes self-conscious aesthetics.
- Which films are like Nocturama?
- Films with a similar feel include La Chinoise, The Dreamers, Athena, and Christiane F..
- How long is Nocturama?
- Nocturama runs 131 minutes.
- Where can I watch Nocturama?
- In United States, Nocturama streams on Philo, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
