The survivor of a terrorist attack finds her life utterly changed in Alice Winocour’s emotionally resonant new film. Inspired by the experiences of the director’s brother, a Bataclan survivor, Paris Memories takes a refreshing approach to troubling material, emphasising the protagonist’s resilience in the face of trauma, and the unexpected bonds that form between fellow survivors, strangers before the attack. Mia (Virginie Efira, excellent, as ever), a professional translator, in a relationship with doctor Vincent (Gregoire Colin), takes shelter from a storm one night in a crowded Parisian bistro, and is caught up in a sudden, startling act of terrorism. Mia’s later efforts to disentangle her blocked memories of the incident lead her to a victim support group, where she forms a tacit bond with the injured Thomas (Benoit Magimel), and begins a search to find the stranger who comforted her during the attack.

Notes by David O’Mahony