Keswick Film Festival

Synopsis

Inspired by her brother's real experience of the Bataclan attack in Paris, Alice Winocour (who co-wrote the magnificent 'Mustang' we saw here in 2016), places Mia, by a huge mis chance, in a restaurant which is attacked by a terrorist gunman. Mia "finds herself completely broken by the experience…" - Wendy Ide, Observer. We see the whole event through Mia's eyes, crouched on the floor with just the gunmen's feet in view; the tension this creates sets the scene for the whole film, but this film is not really about the attack, who did it or why, it is about the effect on a survivor, Mia. Wendy Ide goes on to say "Three months after the event, she starts the process of piecing together her shattered memories of the attack, even as she comes to realise that some elements of her life are beyond repair".

This is the main driver of the movie; we see Mia, unable to get over her shock, repeatedly revisiting the restaurant to work out what happened. Here she meets up with other survivors and bereaved relatives. She becomes even more desperate to remember when someone accuses her of causing harm by her actions that night.

Alice Winocour makes the film an exploration of the recovery rather than the horror of the attack as most terrorist films do. "'Paris Memories' is an emotionally searing exploration of the rippling effects of trauma, but it's not all doom and gloom. With its emphasis on empathy and solidarity, the film demonstrates that the human spirit can be lifted by something as simple as a hand held in the dark" - Yasmin Omar, Empire.

Virginie Efira, who plays Mia, gets amazing reviews for her performance and it won her the César Award for Best Actress.