ALBAWABA - In 2022, Netflix released a movie following the story of three Algerian siblings having their lives thrown into chaos, hours after the tragic death of their youngest brother at the hands of French police, sparking extreme chaos and riots across the country.
Athena's storyline is not far from the reality of so many Northern Africans in France, as a number of killings have been carried out at the hands of French police, with most recently the killing of a 17-year-old boy, named Nahel M.
Nahel's mother said in a video: "On Tuesday morning, he gave me a kiss and said, 'I love you,' then he left,". She added: "An hour after he left, I received the news that he was killed by the police."
(Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
According to an audio message circulating online, Nahel's friend is narrating the events leading up to and following the fatal traffic stop. Following this, violent protests have broken out across France, with people torching cars and robbing stores, and French police arresting thousands of protestors rioting on the streets.
Athena Storyline
Abdel, an Algerian-French soldier, speaks to the media after his 13-year-old brother Idir is killed by alleged police officers. The conference is disrupted by Idir's brother Karim and his group of youth, who raid the police station, steal weapons and a van, and take control of their neighborhood, Athena.
They clash with riot police while Moktar hides contraband in a shisha bar. Abdel arranges an evacuation during Idir's memorial but gets arrested. The youth capture a police officer named Jerôme, demanding justice.
Abdel confronts Karim, and they find shelter in the shisha lounge where Moktar reveals he is Abdel's half-brother. Dishonest police officers rescue Jerôme, but Karim is killed. Abdel captures Jerôme but intentionally releases him after negotiating with the police. The building is destroyed by bombs, killing Abdel. The attackers responsible for Idir's death are exposed as far-right activists disguised as police officers.
Shocking Facts
Yassine Bouzerou, the family's attorney, has been speaking to French and international media since Nahel M's death about the latest developments and the circumstances surrounding his client's death.
Those who watched the movie found a great resemblance between Bouzerou and the actor that plays the role of Idir's family lawyer in the movie Athena, only to find out later that Bouzerou himself played the lawyer role in the movie.
Movie Premiere
Netflix's Athena had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 9 September 2022, where it competed for the Golden Lion award, and was released on 23 September 2022 on Netflix. The film received mostly positive reviews, with praise for the direction and technical aspects, but was criticized for its lack of depth.
