Nocturama

A group of young revolutionaries plans an elaborate wave of bombings across Paris. They intend to strike cars, high-rises, government buildings, and even target the head of HSBC France, while also planning to set fire to Jeanne d'Arc. Greg, the sole adult in the group, supplies semtex to fuel their scheme.

Sarah, David, and Yacine infiltrate a skyscraper floor to plant a bomb, while Fred, acting as a security guard, helps guide them and keep watch. The trio works quickly to plant the device before retreating to regroup with the others. Their task is part of the larger scheme of semtex-fueled bombings across Paris.

While they are on the bombing mission, Fred shoots an innocent office worker who is on a call in the building. A secondary security guard responds and kills Fred, despite his pleas. David hears the gunfire from an adjoining corridor and runs, discarding his bomb rather than letting it detonate.

After detonating their bombs remotely, the group converges at a central Paris department store to lie low until the evening of the next day. They seek safety by blending into crowds and avoiding cameras as authorities search for them. The decision to hide together marks a shift from action to waiting.

Inside the department store, Omar is revealed as an additional accomplice who has bound and gagged the remaining security team and shut down the cameras. He also reveals that some guards are dead. The group discovers that Fred and Greg are missing, and David informs them that Fred is dead while Greg's fate remains a mystery.

The terrorists spend the night inside the store, rationing groceries and pilfering clothing from the shops. Omar turns on the display TVs, giving the group glimpses of a city in panic as the police hunt for them. The atmosphere grows tense as they realize authorities are closing in and worry about Greg's status.

David steps outside to smoke and encounters a homeless man; he invites him into the mall for food, but the man declines. David wedges the door open in case the couple wishes to enter later, hoping to offer shelter if things get worse. The moment underscores the precariousness of their improvised sanctuary.

David meets a cyclist outside who informs him that authorities are still actively searching for the bombers. She believes the attacks are inevitable, echoing André's earlier remark about civilization and downfall. The outside world reinforces the sense of an inescapable consequence.

Back inside, the group grows more agitated, engaging in improvised performances and applying makeup to themselves. Mika dreams of Greg telling him he forgot to hide his gun and that Greg has committed suicide on the streets, leaving a mannequin behind and unsettling Mika. The dream deepens the group’s fragility and paranoia.

Sarah reacts with fear when she spots the homeless couple climbing the escalator, and David comforts the group. The homeless couple is granted shelter inside the store, and David and Sarah have intimate intercourse. A TV later reveals that authorities know the terrorists are holed up here and plan to act, prompting André to urge caution.

André rigs the semtex against pillars as leverage for the approaching crackdown, hoping to influence the authorities' actions. David warns the others of the imminent assault as they prepare to hide. The tension peaks as they anticipate a violent intervention.

A squad of heavily armed police storms the department store and the youths attempt to surrender with their hands raised. The officers shoot the group one by one, showing no mercy and ending the suicidal siege. The homeless couple is killed alongside the rest, leaving a trail of bodies across the store.