In the French Netflix film Athena, the death of a little boy causes unrest in the whole town. His three older brothers disagree on how to deal with his death and soon find themselves on different sides of the law.
Synopsis of the plot of “Athena”:
The murder of a little boy named Idir has sparked riots across the city. His older brother Abdel is in the army and is trying to cooperate with the police to get the riots under control.
Idir died under mysterious circumstances and the suspicion quickly falls on a couple of police officers who are said to be responsible for Idir’s murder.
Shortly after Abdel’s press conference, his younger brother Karim and his gang of rebels throw a Molotov cocktail at the police officers and storm the police station. There they steal some weapons and drive a police car to a settlement where the police haven’t checked on things for a long time.
Meanwhile, the older brother, Moktar, tries to save his drug business and talks to Karim about ending his rebellion. But Karim is determined to avenge his brother’s death.
Further clashes with the police ensued. But the police can’t get the settlement under their control.
The news shows that Idir was beaten to death by police officers. According to police, the attackers are members of a far-right gang posing as police officers.
When Karim’s colleagues want to know more about it, he only says that the news cannot be trusted.
Abdel tries to negotiate with Karim personally, but the police officers won’t let him go.
A policeman named Jerome is separated from his unit in the chaos and falls straight into the hands of Karim and his people. The policeman is eventually captured. In exchange, they demand the police officers responsible for Idir’s death.
After Abdel sees Jerome’s blackmail video, Abdel goes in search of his brother.
Karim challenges Abdel, calling him a coward for turning his back on his family to serve as a puppet for the army. Karim also tells him that he should have died instead of Idir. Abdel agrees and then flees with police officer Jerome.
During the escape, Jerome is shot by his own people. Abdel and Jerome find refuge with Moktar.
Moktar suggests killing Jerome, but Abdel has a better plan. When Moktar hands Jerome over to the authorities, he will be hailed as a hero.
Karim finally found her and wants his hostage Jerome back. Abdel orders him to leave before the police arrive and take Jerome away.
Karim is so adamant that he threatens to set fire to the building with a Molotov cocktail. Karim tries to hurl the Molotov in the direction of the police officers, but he is shot. The Molotov then falls to the ground and Karmin burns.
Abdel is inconsolable because he has now lost another brother. Now he no longer knows whose side he should be on.
The ending of Athena explains:
Moktar advises Abdel to calm down after Karim’s death. Abdel sees how cold-hearted his brother is and beats him up.
Abdel chooses to fight on the side of the rebellion, becoming little different from Karim. The rebels try to intimidate Jerome into revealing the identities of those responsible for Idir’s death. Jerome insists he has no idea who murdered Idir.
Abdel orders all firearms to be collected. He also tries with the help of Sebastian to crack the safe that Karim and his men stole from the police station.
Another news program reported that riots broke out in 30 places after the video showing Idir’s assassination was released. Up to a hundred right-wing extremists have also occupied Dijon town hall.
Will Abdel survive?
Abdel contacts the authorities. In exchange for Jerome’s release, he demands the names of the police officers who murdered Idir.
Police continue to believe that members of a far-right gang are responsible for Idir’s murder.
Abdel then shoots at Jerome, but intentionally misses his target.
Abdel is informed by the other men that the mentally unstable Sebastian plans to blow up the building.
The police presence intensifies and Abdel releases Jerome. He himself has now lost all will to live because he didn’t manage to save Karim and Idir.
When Sebastian blows up the skyscraper, Abdel lies depressed on the ground. Abdel dies in the explosion that follows.
Who is responsible for the murder of Idir?
The film ends by depicting the event that started the uprising. The attackers beat up Idir and left him dead.
The criminals take off their police uniforms and set them on fire. A cross in a circle is emblazoned on their necks. This scene seems to indicate that the right-wing extremists are responsible for the murder of Idir out of hatred for Muslims.
Their plan was to frame the police as the bad guys in order to start a riot. They caused a riot to attack Dijon City Hall, although the motivation behind this remains unclear.
