Pacifiction

Albert Serra's Pacifiction is mysterious and haunting. But in usual Serra mode I wasn’t always sure what the fuck we were doing. Pacifiction has some great stuff in it, but it also really tries the viewer’s patience. And at 2 hours and 45 minutes, this is a commitment.

The Death of Louis XIV

It is unquestionably inspired to have cast Jean-Pierre Léaud as Louis XIV for this movie, but the film itself is claustrophobic and even tedious. I know Serra is supposed to be a daring, challenging filmmaker, but La Mort de Louis XIV was definitely not for me.