Much like last year’s nuclear Venice nail-biter, A House of Dynamite, Alexandre Smia’s taut, tense and dynamic thriller, Jupiter, deals with a world on the verge of nuclear annihilation–A MAD world: Mutual Assured Destruction. Let’s hope that Smia’s gem isn’t chucked to the sidelines as Kathryn Bigelow’s powerful piece of cinema was.
In Jupiter, a work of fiction that has great current resonance, newly elected French president Paul Archambault (an excellent Denis Menochet) must deal with a potentially catastrophic situation, an assassination attempt has been made on the life of the Russian president (or has been staged by him) and he blames Ukraine and demands that they surrender to Russia or he promises, “prompt and utter destruction.”
France, as the only nuclear nation in NATO, must decide what to do next. The U.S. is not in the mix, nor is the U.K. Archambault holds a meeting with the representatives of the top western nations, and no one can agree on how to respond. Members of his own cabinet and military advisors are also arguing about what, if anything, should be done next. Tensions are high and many different ideas are tossed around and debated.
Archambault decides to phone the Russian president, and it does not go well. “I could annihilate France, if I wanted to, in the blink of an eye,” he threatens. “Then we’ll die together,” is Archambault’s answer.
Russian immediately launches a nuclear bomb into the Black Sea.
Now, Archambault knowing he’s dealing with an unstable, dangerous man who wishes to create fear in order to get his way, must decide on what to do next, painfully aware that his next move could prove apocalyptic.
Jupiter is an enlightening and brutal examination of power, the limitations of diplomacy and impossibility of a world where a deranged leader can have access to a button that might destroy civilization.
The smart and economic script is by Smia and Thomas Finkielkraut.
I was completely enthralled by this movie but I’m a sucker for a “brink of nuclear war” work. One of the biggest ironies is that most of the film consists of people sitting around arguing. No real action, per se, yet the film is beyond thrilling to watch.
We can never have enough reminders of just how precarious the world’s survival is, especially with so many maniacs out there—maniacs who are also egomaniacs– in power.
Jupiter is screening Out of Competition at the Venice Film Festival.
In French and English, with English subtitles.
