Albert Serra‘s “Pacifiction” made a splash at its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last May. But after Cahiers du Cinéma crowned the film as their top one of 2022 last month, “Pacifiction” became a must-see film for American audiences. Now after a theatrical rollout in Europe this Fall, the movie gets its US theatrical release in NYC on February 17, with a national rollout to follow.
READ MORE: ‘Pacifiction,’ ‘NOPE,’ & ‘Licorice Pizza’ Top The Cahiers Du Cinéma Top 10 Of 2022
But what’s the premise of “Pacifiction”? It’s a departure from Serra’s last two films, 2019’s “Liberté” and 2016’s “The Death Of Louis XIV” but still very much in the director’s wheelhouse. Benoît Magimel stars in the sultry slow-burn thriller as a French magistrate on Tahiti as he navigates the island’s often seedy political spectrum.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis, courtesy of Grasshopper Films:
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. Especially since a persistent rumor has been going around: the sighting of a submarine whose ghostly presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing.
Along with Magimel, “Pacifiction” also stars Pahoa Mahagafanau, Marc Susini, Matahi Pambrun, Sergi López, and Alexandre Mello.
Critics raved about “Pacifiction” as the film toured the festival circuit last year. The Playlist’s review calls Serra’s latest “gorgeous and grave. The atmosphere is chokingly sensual, the geopolitical implications are operatic, and the filmmaking is at once puckish and grand” (read the rest of the review here). Thanks to its theatrical release overseas, several European critics had “Pacifiction” at the top of their top-ten lists for 2022. Now, American audiences get their chance to check out the film.
“Pacifiction” opens in NYC at the Film Society Of Lincoln Center on February 17. Afterward, the film will get a national rollout in theaters across the country. Watch a trailer for the movie below.
