Disco Boy is an intriguing film, using psychedelia to essentially tell a war story.
Disco Boy follows two men on opposing sides of a conflict. The first is Alex (Franz Rogowski), a Belarusian member of the French legion, and the second is Jomo (Morr Ndiaye), a Nigerian solder and member of the MEND, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta. Building up to the two solders’ inevitable collision, director Giacomo Abbruzzese parallels the two soldiers’ identity crises as they navigate their units. Abbruzzese approaches his dueling narrative in a flowing, visually oriented method. He lets his scenes and actors’ physical performances speak for themselves, rather than get bogged down in exposition. This narrative choice allows for an intimate cinematic experience, relating to Alex’s inner turmoil with his European identity, and Jomo’s trauma as a solder. At the same time, Disco Boy’s gorgeous neon cinematography and eclectic soundtrack gives the film a unique identity to lean on.
Both Rogowski and Ndiaye deliver strong performances that express their inner conflicts clearly and effectively. Rogowski effectively highlights the pressure he puts on himself to carve a cultural identity for himself. It’s shown how he’s looked down on in his unit and how uncomfortable he is with the French unit work. Meanwhile, Morr Ndiaye balances the intensity he needs to put on with his follow soldiers with a real yearning for a full life. Combining these opposite perspectives paints a full picture of how destructive their warring sides can be, and the power behind their yearning for freedom. For as aesthetically beautiful and powerfully acted as the film is, it’s not as biting and aggressive as it could be due to the lack of frank aggression. While I respect that Abbruzzese didn’t want to be exploitive by depicting explicit carnage or gratuitous violence, his psychedelic and personal approach is lacking the energy needed to really sell the brutality.
Disco Boy is a meditative and striking drama that analyses identity and trauma in a captivating manner. While Abbruzzese may occasionally get lost in his own style, he still crafted a beautiful film that will captivate audiences looking for more of an experience than traditional narrative. Those looking for a more aggressive war film may be disappointed, but Disco Boy will resonate with people who don’t really feel at home in their community.
