Athena

Lieutenant Abdel holds a press conference outside a police station, appealing for calm after his younger brother Idir dies in hospital, allegedly due to police brutality. He speaks of accountability and justice, urging restraint from the community. The moment sets a tense tone for what follows.

A group of youths led by Karim interrupts Abdel's call for peace by throwing a Molotov cocktail and raiding the police station. They steal a weapons locker, tactical gear, and a police van, then head back to Athena. The stolen gear powers the uprising and destabilizes the area.

The uprising reaches the Athena housing complex, where barricades go up and riot police arrive to restore order. The youths respond with fireworks and improvised missiles, turning the area into a hostile frontline. Moktar's drug operation becomes entangled in the chaos.

Moktar and his gang shelter in Athena's shisha lounge and dig a hidden stash for contraband to ride out the unrest. The lounge becomes a clandestine safe haven amidst the clashes. The plan illustrates how the chaos is exploited by criminals.

Abdel attends a memorial service for Idir but is unable to connect with Karim who avoids him as the violence outside intensifies. The service is interrupted by ongoing unrest, blending mourning with danger. The moment reinforces the fragile line between grief and anger.

Abdel helps organize an evacuation and shelter for Athena's residents, including Sébastien, a former terrorist from Syria. He directs people to safety, leveraging the daycare center as a temporary refuge. The scene highlights his leadership amid the chaos.

Night falls as riot police advance and the residents are kettled and arrested. Abdel leads a group of civilians through the turmoil toward safety, but the confrontation continues to test loyalties and nerves. The siege marks a shift to a more controlled, yet dangerous, phase.

A young officer, Jerôme, is separated from his unit and captured by the youths. They record a video threatening Jerôme unless the three policemen who beat Idir are identified. Abdel is released by the on-site commander and sneaks into Athena to confront Karim.

Abdel confronts Karim through the security shutter covering the shisha lounge front while others try to breach from the side. The tension escalates into a deadly stalemate as the standoff intensifies with the arrivals of more forces. The shisha lounge becomes the focal point of the confrontation.

Moktar reveals a familial connection to Abdel as half-brothers, and he calls on corrupt policemen to rescue Jerôme. The plan to break Jerôme out adds another layer of danger to the already volatile standoff. Karim counters by coordinating against the infiltrators.

Karim attacks the approaching corrupt policemen and is shot dead, shocking Abdel and pushing him toward a harsher resolve. The death deepens Abdel's internal conflict and intensifies the drive to influence what happens next. The balance of power shifts as the youths react to Karim's loss.

Enraged, Abdel beats Moktar and seizes Jerôme while contacting the commander and urging Sébastien to aid the youths. The commander insists the video cops are not real police, warning that RAID and the military are on the way. Abdel aims at Jerôme but intentionally misses, letting him go as the siege tightens and the building begins to crumble.

As the RAID assault closes in, several building levels are blown by improvised bombs crafted by Sébastien, killing Abdel and a number of policemen. The chaotic assault ends with a fatal eruption of violence that shatters any pretense of control. The personal cost underscores the tragedy of the uprising.

In the closing scene, a man in a van records the beating of Idir, and the footage later circulates on social media. It reveals that the 'policemen' were actually far-right instigators in disguise, whose intent was to provoke racial unrest. They burn their disguises in the van and drive away, leaving the truth to surface.