A Netflix film with a crazy opening scene which appears as one-shot over the course of 12 minutes has been leaving fans begging to be able to ‘watch it for first time again’.
This is a feeling I’m sure many of us can relate to, the idea of going back and enjoying your favourite film or show for the first time again.
While rewatches can bring new angles, ultimately, nothing beats your first watch of an unreal film.
And this Netflix thriller from 2022 has you immediately hooked from the action packed 12 minute scene, with several sneaky cuts hidden within it to appear as one continuous sequence.
The film focuses on a group of French youths who begin to riot after their leader’s younger brother is murdered by police.
Check out the trailer here:
The film, in question, is Athena, and it follows the group of youths turning their council estate into a fortress after raiding a local police station.
The opening sequence sees them raiding the station, escaping in a stolen police van, before returning to their estate triumphant.
Athena has received positive reviews, with a 6.8 on IMDb and 86 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
One comment on a TikTok video of the opening sequence said: “Wish I could watch Athena for the first time again,” while another called it ‘the best movie I’ve ever watched’.
In fact, a few people commented that.
Dylan Roth of The Observer said in their 2022 review: “Athena is an engrossing and unflinching polemic, an “action-tragedy” that’s both a feast for the eyes and a dagger to the heart.”
Meanwhile, Tomris Laffry of RogerEbert.com said in their three out of four star review: “A fast-moving political thriller and urban drama that feels genuinely cinematic, with technical finesse to spare.”
Even critical reviews were effusive, however, about the film’s crazy opening sequence, which you can see here:
IndieWire’s David Erlich, in a 2.5 star review, said on Letterboxd: “Pardon my French, but the first shot of Romain Gavras’ Athena — a sketch of a Greek tragedy transplanted into a housing project on the outskirts of Paris — is absolutely f**king insane.
“Even in a digital age where dazzling long-takes have become a dime a dozen (and all too easy to fake), the oner that ignites this roman candle of a movie about a police siege on a poor neighbourhood is something else.”
In a video shared explaining the making of the 12 minute scene, director Romain Gavras said (via Collider): “On a traditional shoot, a scene can be energized by the editing, by making cuts.
“But since we had the ambition of making a tense film, where we are held in complete suspense from beginning to end, we don’t need dull moments.
“Especially for this scene, where we start in a police station, go into a van, and we arrive at the council estate two miles away.”
Athena is available to watch in Netflix.
