Pacifiction

“Politics is like a nightclub.” This line from the world-weary anti-hero De Roller (a superb Benoît Magimel) points to the core of Pacifiction. He is High Commissioner in present-day French Polynesia, spending his time wandering between meetings (official and otherwise), bars, and breathtaking island spots.

De Roller, never without his snazzy white suit on, is part of a social set that exists in a bubble of privilege. But now that the world is changing, and the indigenous inhabitants resist a resurgence in nuclear testing, what’s to become of the remnants of this empire? Like the screen tales of colonialism previously conjured by Claire Denis (Beau travail IFFR 2001), this one evokes a decadent ritual artificially maintained long beyond its glory days. Ennui and paranoia have set in, and there are vague hints of a conspiracy involving the Chinese, Russians or Americans.

Filmmaker Albert Serra alters his course with this new work, approaching a more conventional form and delivering it without his usual provocations. Yet he holds back from totally seducing us: the enigmatic intrigue tantalises with hints of eroticism and violence that are never fully shown, as the film drifts into a disarming, dreamlike mood.

– Adrian Martin