1744 White Alto
A colourful comedy featuring quirky characters, a case of mistaken identity and one hell of a ride.
110'
India
IFFR 2023
“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
IFFR 2023
Programme IFFR 2023
Echoing Rotterdam’s port city identity, Harbour offers a safe haven to the full range of contemporary cinema that the festival champions.
Read more about this programmeA colourful comedy featuring quirky characters, a case of mistaken identity and one hell of a ride.
110'
India
IFFR 2023
A wordless, dream-like, post-apocalyptic horror movie full of sounds of fury. A darkly trippy avant-garde scare fest!
82'
Austria
IFFR 2023
A suicidal police officer finds a reason to live: catching the killer preying on migrant women.
128'
Taiwan
IFFR 2023