In the France of the early 1970s, the memory of the revolutionary upheaval of May 1968 is still in the air. A student who wants to be an artist gets caught up in political debates about the revolution that never happened. Or has it? In one of his most elegant films, Olivier Assayas looks back at the days of his youth: the time of great expectations and equally great disillusionment.
Inspired by May 1968, French students of the early 1970s continue to argue about Trotsky and Mao, go to protests, and fight with policemen. Some get arrested. Young Gilles, who is trying to find himself in political debates with his mates and in romance, travels to Italy and contemplates devoting his life to art, which persists when everything else falls apart.
In a very personal yet unbiased film, Assayas looks back at the revolution that never happened: an opportunity that slipped away from the students who were too busy trying to win endless political debates and taking drugs with pretty hippies. Something in the Airis a study of youth, whose fleeting, ephemeral nature has remained its main mystery and attraction throughout history.
Something in the Air
Director: Olivier Assayas
France, 2012, 122 min. 16+
