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Drama thriller

Nocturama (2017): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Nocturama (2017) movie poster

Nocturama is a 2017 drama thriller directed by Bertrand Bonello, starring Finnegan Oldfield, Jamil McCraven and Manal Issa. It runs 2 hours 10 minutes and earned $321,768 worldwide on a $5.6 million budget. Critics gave it 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and 71 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.4/10.

IMDb rating
6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes
82%
worldwide gross
$321.8K
Echo Score
70
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Nocturama (2017) movie poster
Released
Runtime
2h 10m (130 min)
Director
Bertrand Bonello
Genres
Drama , Thriller
Original language
French
Budget
$5.6M
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Nocturama About?

The premise of Nocturama without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A group of Parisian teenagers, each grappling with personal frustrations, find their lives converging in a shocking act of violence. Following a bombing, they seek refuge within a luxurious shopping mall, becoming trapped within its glittering environment. As they navigate the surreal situation, they confront consumerism and the complexities of their own circumstances, all while facing an uncertain future and the dangers that surround them.

Nocturama Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • sleepless night
  • post punk
  • no survivors
  • france
  • man in a bathtub
  • photography
  • bomb
  • night
  • shopping center
  • la defense paris
  • car bomb
  • bombed building
+38 more
  • night watchman
  • swat squad
  • office tower
  • assassination
  • social violence
  • summary execution
  • looting
  • carelessness
  • samaritaine department store
  • sleeping in a department store
  • department store
  • semtex
  • reference to joan of arc
  • time on screen
  • 2010s
  • dancing
  • explosives
  • repeated scene from a different perspective
  • shot to death
  • shooting
  • fear
  • written by director
  • long take
  • terrorist group
  • terrorist bombing
  • terrorist
  • nightmare
  • telephone call
  • applying lipstick
  • lipstick
  • transvestism
  • bathtub
  • rear nudity
  • male rear nudity
  • male nudity
  • nudity
  • wine
  • bicycle
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Cast & crew

Nocturama Cast

Finnegan Oldfield leads the cast, with Jamil McCraven and Manal Issa. Directed by Bertrand Bonello; 10 actors are credited in all.

From the director

More from Bertrand Bonello

More films directed by Bertrand Bonello, best-rated first: Zombi Child, The Beast, House of Pleasures and Coma.

Full filmography
Ratings

Nocturama Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Nocturama 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and 71 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.4/10. Our Echo Score gives it 70/100, strongest in sensory experience (88) and weakest in rewatch factor (55).

70 /100

Nocturama Echo Score Breakdown

As a whole, Nocturama impresses with its striking visual and auditory design but struggles with narrative clarity and character engagement. The film’s ambitious structure and thematic originality draw consistent praise, even as its opaque approach and limited emotional resonance leave aspects underexplored. Reviews highlight the evocative production design and immersive score, counterbalanced by a sense of abstraction that can feel distant. Overall, it offers a compelling sensory experience grounded in provocative ideas, but may challenge viewers seeking narrative clarity and deeper character connections.

Our own 0–100 rating, built from five aspects: art, character, story, the sensory experience and how well a film rewatches.

  • Art & Craft 85

    In terms of art and craft, Nocturama delivers a bold visual and editorial style that consistently captivates. Critics note the film’s elegant production design and slick editing moves, while its fluid camera work contributes to a sense of immersive abstraction. Some viewers find this approach occasionally lacks finesse or leans toward brainless spectacle. In sum, the film’s craft offers striking formal confidence even when it borders on pretentious.

  • Character & Emotion 55

    When it comes to character and emotion, the film maintains an intentional distance from its ensemble. The director’s choice to keep figures at arm’s length and the lack of clear emotional arcs often yields a detached tone. While the varied cast roles are well-defined, they seldom register deep empathy. Consequently, character depth remains uneven and rarely fully resonates.

  • Story & Flow 65

    In terms of story and flow, Nocturama presents a provocative, original premise that fascinates yet confounds. Its deliberate pacing sustains tension through most of the narrative, bolstered by inventive structural choices. However, the plot’s opacity and minimal exposition can leave viewers questioning its purpose. Ultimately, the film offers engaging moments of intrigue but falls short of coherent narrative delivery.

  • Sensory Experience 88

    When it comes to sensory experience, the film excels with a memorable soundtrack and polished sound design. The use of John Barry’s theme and carefully timed music cues enhances the film’s seductive atmosphere. Visually, the understated color palette and dynamic camerawork contribute to a cohesive stylistic vision. Overall, the sensory elements are among the film’s strongest and most immersive assets.

  • Rewatch Factor 55

    In terms of rewatch factor, Nocturama’s stylistic boldness invites repeated viewings, yet its thematic ambiguity may deter some audiences. The film’s provocative ideas and layered visuals reward familiarity, but the lack of narrative clarity can diminish subsequent enjoyment. Viewers intrigued by its aesthetic and conceptual provocations might revisit it, though many may find limited long-term attachment.

Plot

Nocturama Plot Summary

What happens in Nocturama from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 5-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

The film centers on a tight-knit group of young, idealistic rebels who hatch a meticulously planned wave of attacks across Paris, aiming to shake the foundations of a society they view as hollow. When the story unfolds in a non-linear fashion, a flashback reveals that the bombs—made from semtex—were supplied to the group, largely composed of teenagers and university students, by Greg, the sole adult who remains outside the core circle. The plan threads through several high-stakes targets: cars, towering office buildings, government structures, and even a symbolic strike at Jeanne d’Arc. The tension is built as the youths coordinate their actions with surgical precision, trusting their own urban insurgency to bring about a dramatic reckoning.

Full summary

The whole story of Nocturama, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Nocturama Box Office & Budget

Nocturama grossed $321,768 worldwide on a $5.6 million budget, 6% of what it cost. $30,157 came from the US and Canada and $291,611 (91%) from the rest of the world.

2017 box office

Worldwide gross

$321.8K

6% of its budget back

US & Canada
$30.2K
International
$291.6K
Budget
$5.6M
US & Canada 9% Rest of the world 91%
Videos

Nocturama Trailers & Videos

2 videos: 1 trailer and 1 teaser.

Official Trailer
  • Teaser
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Nocturama?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

In which European capital does the film's plot primarily unfold?

Details

Nocturama Also Known As

12 alternative titles, including “Paris Is Happening” and “Paris est une fête”.

Also known as
  • Paris Is Happening
  • Paris est une fête
  • Ноктурама
  • 夜行盛宴
  • Париж - это праздник
  • Nokturama
  • Ноктюрама
  • Eközben Párizsban
  • Nocturama: Paris Yanıyor
  • 녹투라마
  • נוקטוראמה
  • ノクトラマ/夜行少年たち

Seen Nocturama?

FAQ

Nocturama FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, post-credit scenes and language of Nocturama, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Nocturama?

Nocturama runs 2 hours 10 minutes (130 minutes).

When was Nocturama released?

Nocturama was released on August 11, 2017.

Who directed Nocturama?

Nocturama was directed by Bertrand Bonello.

More films by Bertrand Bonello

Who is in the cast of Nocturama?

Nocturama stars Finnegan Oldfield, Jamil McCraven and Manal Issa, among 10 credited actors.

How much did Nocturama make at the box office?

Nocturama grossed $321,768 worldwide ($30,157 domestic, $291,611 international) on a budget of $5.6 million.

How is Nocturama rated?

Nocturama has 6.4/10 on IMDb, 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, 71 on Metacritic and 64% on TMDB.

Does Nocturama have a post-credit scene?

No. Nocturama has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is Nocturama in?

The original language of Nocturama is French.

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