Italian director Giacomo Abbruzzese's debut feature Disco Boy follows Aleksei (Franz Rogowski), a young Belarusian on the run from a past he must bury. In a form of Faustian pact, he becomes a member of the French Foreign Legion in exchange for the promise of French citizenship. Far away, in the Niger Delta, Jomo is a revolutionary activist, engaged in armed struggle to defend his community. Aleksei is a soldier, Jomo a guerrilla fighter. Because of one more senseless war, their destinies will intertwine. We opens Disco Boythis Friday at the Laemmle Glendale and Monica Film Center.
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"In its final scenes, Disco Boy echoes the troop and solo dance movements from the much revered Beau Travail, a mad and nervy move a young director would only dare when he has a lead as riveting and emotionally daring as Franz Rogowski." ~ Chuck Wilson, Village Voice
"Bold, creative and unflinching, Disco Boy is alive with unpredictable political energy." ~ Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, AWFJ.org
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"This is bold film-making: a movie that wants to dazzle you with its standalone setpieces, but also to carry you along with its storytelling." ~ Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
"Getting in, getting down, and getting out as a style-hopping sizzle reel, Disco Boyheralds a promising new talent who totally has the moves." ~ Ben Croll, indieWire
"Disco Boy doesn’t want for boldness or surprise — Abbruzzese’s hot, fluxional command of sound and image keeps us curious." ~ Guy Lodge, Variety
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"A sensuous, striking film experience." ~ Leslie Felperin, Hollywood Reporter