Pola X

Part of the disappointment of many film critics about Pola X at the première in Cannes can be explained because of their excessive expectations. Infant prodigy Carax had not been seen or heard of for eight years. There were also justified objections to a long monologue by Katarina Golubeva in almost incomprehensible French, directly taken from the novel by Herman Melville. It was soon called ‘self-indulgent’. But there is so much more in the film that does not just need defending, but can even evoke delight. Practically every camera angle is original, cheeky and physically tangible. The scenes between the artist and his mother-girlfriend display an exciting, complex eroticism. Raising a sweater becomes a tender gesture, the abyss in which colleague director Bartas conducts a whole orchestra is an infernal vision. Pola X includes more exciting images than any other film screened at Cannes last year.