Blackout 2010
In the tense spring of 1994, Paris-based freelance journalist Antoine Rives takes on a harrowing assignment to document the stories of Westerners fleeing Rwanda's unfolding genocide.
Director: Jean-Christophe Klotz
Cast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Blackout (2010) about?
Blackout follows Antoine, a journalist who documents the plight of refugees fleeing Rwanda's genocide. After meeting Clément, a student whose Tutsi fiancée is trapped in Rwanda, Antoine convinces Clément to return and search for her while filming their perilous journey. Their mission spirals into moral chaos as they confront a landscape steeped in violence and despair.
Who directed Blackout?
Blackout was directed by Jean-Christophe Klotz, whose work often explores pressing social and historical themes with a documentary-like intensity.
Who stars in Blackout?
The cast features Jalil Lespert as Antoine Rives, Cyril Gueï as Clément, Philippe Nahon, Jean-François Stévenin, and Patrick Rameau.
Is Blackout (2010) worth watching?
Blackout delivers a sobering, atmospheric dive into the moral dilemmas of war journalism and humanitarian rescue. While it lacks a conventional resolution, its unflinching realism and strong performances make it a quietly powerful drama for viewers drawn to historical gravity and psychological tension.
How long is Blackout?
Blackout runs for 95 minutes.
About Blackout (2010) — A journalist's journey into Rwanda's forgotten nightmare
In the tense spring of 1994, Paris-based freelance journalist Antoine Rives takes on a harrowing assignment to document the stories of Westerners fleeing Rwanda's unfolding genocide. His path crosses with Clément, a young student of Hutu heritage whose Tutsi fiancée Alice remains trapped behind the killing fields. Seduced by the urgency of rescue, Antoine convinces Clément to journey back into the chaos—while Antoine films every excruciating moment. What begins as a documentary pact quickly curdles into a descent through fear, moral compromise, and the raw edges of human survival. Director Jean-Christophe Klotz crafts this sobering drama around a single, relentless road trip, where every shadow feels like a threat and every delay deepens the dread. The film's claustrophobic atmosphere and stark visual palette mirror the moral blackout Antoine and Clément face when idealism collides with brutality.
Blackout (2010) transforms a journalist's lens into an unwitting accomplice in violence, asking how far empathy can stretch before it snaps. With a measured pace and unflinching performances, Klotz plunges audiences into the heart of a humanitarian crisis, where the camera itself becomes a witness—and sometimes an accomplice—to atrocity.