Revoir Paris (Winocour, 2022)
Revoir Paris wasn’t a surprising or overly complex film, however, that wasn’t the intended purpose of the film. Revoir Paris displays not only the extreme kindness of strangers but also shows the hostility and aggression humankind can hold.
Revoir Paris revolves around a terrorist attack at a small restaurant, in Paris, France, and the recovery of some of the victims involved in the attack. The main character, Mia, connects to individuals involved in the incident during her search for the events of that night, as she cannot remember anything after the attack began. Mia tries to help some of the other victims named Félicia, Nour, and Thomas, but they end up helping her in more ways than she would’ve thought.
Trauma is often hard for certain individuals to understand or describe, but I find that Revoir Paris does a well-rounded job of displaying how trauma, such as that from a terrorist attack, impacts people and how they find their closure in different ways. This film demonstrates how one event can taint everyday items and interactions, especially those within a romantic relationship. I’d also say that Revoir Paris does a very good job of engaging their viewer(s) by always leaving something unanswered, even after the conclusion has been reached. This can keep viewers contemplating about what will or what might happen, and I personally find this to be a good quality of movies or other forms of entertainment.
I personally appreciated the level of diversity of those involved in the attack, because it demonstrates how easily these events can occur to any individual, no matter the age or background. Revoir Paris touches on several real-life issues such as learning to embrace oneself after an event that causes not only mental trauma but physical trauma as well. This film also displays glimpses of life and issues an individual might experience or deal with if they are undocumented.
As for the characters, I found them to be as expected, almost, except for the main character of course. Personally, I find that Mia, the main character, holds a place in this film that cannot be replaced. Although she is a victim of a horrific trauma, she offers nothing but kindness and quiet reactions when she is met with harshness from other survivors, as well as in her personal life.
Just like every movie, book, show, or video, Revoir Paris has many strong points as well as weak points. For the strong points, I think Revoir Paris is impactful due to Mia’s disposition and how she treats individuals around her. She shows hope and proves herself to be determined to uncover the events and identities she was exposed to that night during the attack. Not only was Mia’s character impactful through her role and attitude, but I found that the film and auditory work allow the viewer to see everyday life and to reflect on it through what they have witnessed alongside Mia. Scenic shots of the city and architecture allow for reflection from viewers as the events slowly unfold. Not only do these quiet moments, in my opinion, deserve praise but I also found the scene layout and unraveling of the events to be effective in keeping myself engaged and cautiously curious about figuring out the truth. This is achieved by creating mysterious and anxious atmospheres and by placing main characters, such as Mia, into them. An example of set design, intentional or not, that I believe deserves notice is that the kitchen is separate from the main living area, which matters later in the film, after the attack when Mia has a flashback to before the incident. This separation between areas is something that I believe greatly impacts Mia’s reactions to current events.
The main weak points I observed during this film is that it is not as rewatchable as a few other movies and series due to the event and layout of information presented. I also observed that some character interactions and connections seem a little cliche, especially some regarding Thomas. A specific example of this is when Thomas is talking to Mia at an event they spontaneously decided to join, and he is describing how he was going to approach her that night before the attack occurred. Another example can be seen in Thomas’s dialogue when he discusses survivor’s guilt at the hospital with Mia. However, due to the nature of the event, these interactions match up with that of a traumatic response, which is to bond with those who have experienced similar actions and events.
A good audience or viewer for Revoir Paris are those who have patience with the main character as she rediscovers the events of the night during the attack, and as she starts to figure things out for her past, present, and future relationships. I also believe that this film displays healthy ways to grieve and get past certain traumatic events, so any individuals looking to understand trauma and coming to terms with traumatic events might also enjoy or be interested in this film. Revoir Paris keeps viewers steadily on their toes as more information is discovered slowly by each character.
