Paris in the early 70′s. Gilles, a young high school student, is taken in by the political and creative turmoil of the times. Much like his friends, he is torn between his radical commitment and his personal ambitions. Through romantic encounters and artistic discoveries, Gilles and his friends’ journeys take them to Italy and then London. Further down the line, they will have to make definitive choices in order to find their place in these turbulent times.
Venice 2012 – Official Competition (Best Screenplay Award, Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award)
Toronto 2012 – Masters
San Sebastian 2012 – Zabaltegi Pearls
New York 2012 – Official Selection
“A rousing tale of student activists in early 70’s France, this is directed with a glorious grace and precision by Olivier Assayas and stands as a kind of sunnier flipside to his last movie Carlos.” THE GUARDIAN
“Free of nostalgia and not overly critical in hindsight, it captures the immediacy of youth in hugely endearing fashion.” TIME OUT LONDON (4 out of 5 stars) – Dave Calhoun
“Unfolding as a series of romantic entanglements, political awakenings and artistic discoveries, the film […] strikes a balance — fond but cleareyed, fetishistic in its attention to period detail yet devoid of sentimentality.” NEW YORK TIMES – Dennis Lim
“Après Mai est un film passionnant.” POSITIF – Jean-Dominique Nuttens
“Assayas’ look leaves you with a bitter rather than sweet feeling, it’s a testament to a blend of real and fake, of uncertainty and search, of arrogance and helplessness. Of all those things that define youth and being a teenager.” EL PAÍS – Carlos Boyero
“The film’s something of a triumph for Assayas as director.” INDIEWIRE – Olivier Lyttelton
“Something in the Air is Olivier Assayas’ wise and wistful memory-piece on the revolutionary fervor that suffused his young adulthood.” VARIETY – Justin Chang
“This is a real time-machine trip into the past and to Assayas’ credit, rarely has a movie done such an intelligent and thorough job of it.” SCREEN – Dan Fainaru
“The new film is virtually bursting with revolutionary ferment, albeit viewed with reflective detachment.” THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – David Rooney
