| Pacifiction | |||
| Native Name: |
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| Director: | Albert Serra | ||
| Starring: | Benoît Magimel | ||
| Cinematography: | Artur Tort | ||
| Runtime: | 165 minutes[1] | ||
| Gross: | $298,934[2] | ||
Pacifiction (fr|'''Pacifiction – Tourment sur les îles''') is a 2022 thriller drama film written and directed by Albert Serra, and starring Benoît Magimel. The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or.[3] The film title is a portmanteau of the words Pacific and fiction.[4]
"On the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, the High Commissioner of the Republic and French government official De Roller is a calculating man with flawless manners. His somewhat broad perception of his role brings him to navigate the high-end 'establishment' as well as shady venues where he mingles with the locals. A persistent rumour also has been going around: The sighting of a submarine with a ghostly presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing."
The film screened at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on 26 May 2022.[5] Distributed by Elastica, it was released theatrically in Spain on 2 September 2022. It was released by Les Films du Losange in France on 9 November 2022.[6]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads, "Narratively sparse and visually vast, Pacifiction is a tsunami of a political thriller that philosophically rewards those willing to weather it."[7] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 18 critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews".[8]
Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that he was "captivated by the film and its stealthy evocation of pure evil."[9] Christian Blauvelt of IndieWire wrote, "Pacifiction is not a vicarious experience of luxury; it is an experience of life. Set to its own tidal rhythm, it is one of the most beautiful and rigorously introspective movies of this or any year."[10] The Hollywood Reporters Leslie Felperin called it "Punishingly slow, though not uninteresting."[11] Guy Lodge of Variety wrote, "Provided they stick with the film's luxuriantly gradual pacing... there are rewards here even for more bemused viewers caught in its tide."[12] Nando Salvá of Cinemanía rated the film 4½ out of 5 stars, underscoring the film to be "Romantic. Seductive. Hypnotic. Overwhelming" as a verdict.[13]
The film appeared on some critics' top-ten lists of the best films of 2022:
It also appeared on a number of critics' top-ten lists of the best European films of 2022:
|-| align = "center" | 2022 || Louis Delluc Prize || colspan = "2" | Best Film of the Year || || [16] |-| rowspan = "26" align = "center" | 2023 | rowspan = "5" | 28th Lumières Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Film || || rowspan = "5" align = "center" | [17] |-| Best Director || Albert Serra || |-| Best Actor || Benoît Magimel || |-| Best Cinematography || Artur Tort || |-| Best Music || Marc Verdaguer || |-| rowspan = "11" | 15th Gaudí Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Non-Catalan Language Film || || rowspan = "11" | [18] |-| Best Director || Albert Serra || |-| Best Actor || Benoît Magimel || |-| Best Original Screenplay || Albert Serra || |-| Best Cinematography || Artur Tort || |-| Best Editing || Albert Serra, Artur Tort, Ariadna Ribas || |-| Best Production Supervision || Clàudia Robert || |-| Best Art Direction || Sebastian Vogler || |-| Best Costume Design || Práxedes de Villalonga || |-| Best Makeup and Hairstyles || Aurélie Vigouroux, Maryline Montibert || |-| Best Original Score || Marc Verdaguer, Joe Robinson || |-| 10th Feroz Awards || colspan = "2" | Arrebato Award (Fiction) || || align = "center" | [19] |-| rowspan="9"| 48th César Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Film || || align="center" rowspan="9"|[20] |-| Best Director || Albert Serra || |-| Best Actor || Benoît Magimel || |-| Best Cinematography || Artur Tort || |-| Best Original Music || Marc Verdaguer, Joe Robinson || |-| Best Costume Design || Praxedes de Vilallonga || |-| Best Production Design || Sebastian Vogler || |-| Best Sound || Jordi Ribas, Benjamin Laurent, Bruno Tarriere || |-| Best Visual Effects || Marco del Bianco || |-|}