"All power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
— Slogan from May 1968 Paris Student Protests
Gilles (Clement Metayer) is a senior high school student in Paris in 1971. A rebellious youth, he has adopted the 1968 revolutionary spirit by distributing papers and pamphlets on the streets. He has a keen interest in drawing and painting.
"A cop sleeps in each one of us. We must kill him. Drive the cop out of your head."
— Graffiti from May 1968 Paris Student Protests
Gilles and his comrades hate the cops who use clubs to beat protesters. We are given an up-close view of the violence and fury unleashed in a 1971 confrontation between activists and the police who seem to think these revolutionaries deserve to be stamped out.
"Barricades close the street but open the way."
— Graffiti from May 1968 Paris Student Protests
The activists respond to the assaults on their comrades by a series of anti-establishment graffiti missions done at night on the walls of their school. When a security guard is injured Gilles and others head to Italy. Giles has broken up with Laure (Carole Combes), the girl of his dreams, so he begins a romance with Christine (Lola Creton). But she goes her own way in Italy and joins a filmmaking group.
"In a society that has abolished every kind of adventure the only adventure that remains is to abolish the society."
— Graffiti from May 1968 Paris Student Protests
In this semi-autobiographical drama, the French writer and director Olivier Assayas captures the questing spirit of energetic youth who have two avenues to use to express their discontent with society: political protest or creativity in the arts. Gilles, after his return to Paris, moves in the direction of bringing out the artist inside of him by turning to film.
"Imagination takes power."
— Graffiti from May1968 Paris Student Protests
Special features on the DVD include a making of featurette.
Screened at The 50th New York Film Festival: September/October 2012.
