Terrorism remains very much at the forefront of our lives with the ‘War On Terror’ still ongoing and seemingly never-ending, but how many films go deeper with the after-effects of such tragedy? Such is the context and perspective that straddles one woman’s own experience in Alice Winocour‘s latest offering PARIS MEMORIES.
City of Light radio station employee Mia (Virginie Efira) meets with her partner Vincent (Gregoire Colin) for a meal, but he is called away back to his job at a local hospital. Deciding to head to a bistro where she orders a coffee in a back area, Mia is suddenly caught in the middle of a terror attack. Hiding out of plain sight, Mia survives.
However, the trauma of the experience and her desire to return to the scene of the tragedy brings her into conflict with Vincent and other victims directly and indirectly affected by the events of the night. One such figure is Thomas (Benoit Magimel), married but in need of additional support whom Mia begins to confide in. However, another woman who was at the scene begins to feel that Mia didn’t provide the right help during the confusion….
Winocour uses context and vivid memories of real-life local tragedies like the Bataclan attack in 2015, but makes the terrorists here more faceless than what has been portrayed in films like UNITED 93 and ZERO DARK THIRTY. In an interview, Winocour talked of showing Efira performances like Christopher Walken‘s Johnny in David Cronenberg‘s competent 1983 adaptation of Stephen King‘s THE DEAD ZONE as a point of reference for her character.
Efira shines in the lead role as Mia, providing the audience with the right balance of reflection and uncertainty as she tries to piece together the events and her life back to a more reasonable moment of balance, giving the audience a chance to be more empathetic to the emotional needs and requirements of those who have been affected most by a life-changing moment. British audiences will certainly be touched by this well-coordinated and sensitively realised drama that will tap into the psyche of 7/7 and the Ariana Grande concert bombing.
However, Efira is also served by a well-written screenplay by Winocour (whose own brother was caught up in the Bataclan event) which plays off a simple moment to create a complex human story that yields emotional dividends by the end credits.
PARIS MEMORIES is released exclusively in UK Cinemas from 4th August, 2023.
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