Night of the Kings (La Nuit des Rois) (2020)
78%RT Audience Score: 59%
Awards & Nominations: 14 wins & 19 nominations
A restless and riveting fable, Night of Kings sees writer-director Philippe Lacôte in full command of his craft
Night of the Kings is like a rollercoaster ride that takes you on a wild journey through the vivid imagination of a group of prisoners. It’s a prison drama that’s not really about the prison, but about the power of storytelling. The film may be a bit hard to follow at times, but it’s worth it for the surreal and magical experience it provides. It’s a movie that will leave you feeling like you’ve just witnessed something truly unique and unforgettable. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride!
Production Company(ies)
Bryna Productions,
Distributor
Neon
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Ivory Coast
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some violent material, language and nudity
Year of Release
2021
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 33m
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Language(s):French, Dyula, Nushi
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Country of origin:Canada, France, Ivory Coast, Senegal
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 26, 2021 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 5, 2021
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Night of the Kings, drama, French (France), Philippe Lacôte, Delphine Jaquet, Ernest Konan, Yanick Létourneau, Philippe Lacôte, R, Steve Tientcheu, Bakary Koné, Jean Cyrille Digbeu, Rasmane Ouedraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Abdoul Karim Konaté, storytelling, Ivorian forest, prison, inmates, Roman, Zama King, mystical, fable, inventive, genre-fluid, alchemical, dream-like, surreal, menacing, magical, restless, riveting, full command, critic reviews, Tomatometer, audience score, box office performance, budget, reviewed by, produced by, directed by, starring
Worldwide gross: $31,207
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $33,941
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,102
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,701
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Bakary Koné – Roman
Jean Cyrille Digbeu – Demi-Fou
Rasmane Ouedraogo – Soni
Issaka Sawadogo – Nivaquine
Abdoul Karim Konaté – Lass
Philippe Lacôte – Director/Writer
Delphine Jaquet – Producer
Ernest Konan – Producer
Yanick Létourneau – Producer
Director(s)
Philippe Lacôte
Writer(s)
Philippe Lacôte
Producer(s)
Delphine Jaquet, Ernest Konan, Yanick Létourneau
Film Festivals
Sundance, Venice, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
14 wins & 19 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (106) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (102) | Rotten (4)
The film may be hard to follow — CGI elephants stampeding in one minute, IRL news footage appearing the next — but it’s gloriously inventive too. Now, have you heard the one about the Ivorian prison?
July 28, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Huw Oliver
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Its vivid, genre-fluid investigation of the alchemical art of storytelling definitely hits the mark.
July 25, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It asks a lot from the viewer, but pays them back two-fold
July 21, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Fred Onyango
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Mostly it plays like a dream – menacing, surreal, hard to shake even in daylight.
July 21, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Danny Leigh
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
The freshness of the approach, combined with the substance of the stories, works the same strange magic on the viewer as on the inmates. It is easy to be swept along.
July 20, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Steve Rose
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
It is perhaps too short to fully explore the themes it raises, or even to fully explain them for a wide audience. But when the prisoners fall under the story’s spell, it’s magical stuff.
March 11, 2021
Anna Smith
Deadline Hollywood Daily
TOP CRITIC
The heightened imagination makes this environment feel detailed in a textured way, especially when one sees glimpses of the vivid story being told.
June 5, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
Josh Parham
Next Best Picture
Almost mythical in its telling, Night of The Kings feels unlike anything in cinemas at the moment. Sidestepping the conventions of modern cinema, it’s a tense 90 minutes that throws you out at the end, taken aback by what you’ve just witnessed.
March 3, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
James Luxford
City AM
A prison drama like you have never seen, more interested in the act of telling stories than in the stories that take place inside the prison.
October 7, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
Ernesto Diezmartinez
Cine Vértigo
It’s hard to take your eyes off the screen. [Full review in Spanish]
September 21, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Rubén Romero Santos
Cinemanía (Spain)
Much like this movie’s imaginative protagonist, you may find yourself hanging in there, taking it all in, trying not to get wiped out and hoping you’ll live to see another day.
September 9, 2021
Craig D. Lindsey
Nashville Scene
It does this all while engaging in the meaning, expectation, responsibility, and duty of telling of ‘your’ story not just as a man but as a nation.
August 19, 2021 | Rating: 76/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies…
Plot
A young man in an Ivorian prison is designated as the new “Roman” and must tell a story to the other inmates until dawn, leading him to narrate the mystical life of the legendary outlaw named “Zama King” in Night of the Kings.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Night of the Kings on Fresh Kernels.
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