Pablo (Théo Cholbi) and sister Apolline (Lila Gueneau) are enamored with a medievalist violent and brutal video game Dark Noon. Decapitation, slashing and all matter of normalized violence. As one’s murderous on-screen rampage claims more victims and the player survives one’s skill rating increases. A perfect world of violence which 17-year-old Apolline appears lost in.
Pablo has faded away from the juvenility of Dark Noon as his low level “chemical” manufacture and distribution of MDM and the like has attracted Night (Erwan Kepoa Falé) as a partner and bisexual lover generating some steamy cavorting and has also angered an organized gang of dealers.
The reality of Pablo and Night becomes increasingly violent with the organized gang whose turf they have violated. In this real and painful world blood flows.
The real-life plot is tiresome, mundane and hardly novel or gritty. The video game plot is also very videogamish. The intersection of the two plots although simple and not particularly well developed has worthy CGI particularly when Apolline and Pablo play themselves in the video game. The intersection between video game fantasy and reality makes “Dark Noon” an interesting but not compelling watch unless of course you attend Comicon on a regular basis.
I prefer the 2011 Polish film “Suicide Room” for a more riveting view of the destructive unreality of video games.
This French film is directed by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel.
Its Canadian theatrical release commences 19February2025.
RKS 2025 Film Rating 68/100.
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