Marc Susini

From Don Quixote to Louis XIV, Albert Serra is notorious for radically reimagining the costume drama, but little will prepare you for this. A gorgeous tableaux of the nocturnal cruising and sexual fantasies of desperate aristocrats, its confrontational form challenges cinematic vulgarity and excess.

Topping Cahiers du cinéma’s list of best films from 2022, Albert Serra’s mesmerizing epic conjures up the malaise and paranoia poisoning the Edenic calm of sun-soaked Tahiti. Steeped in moral ambiguity, Benoît Magimel’s stunning performance embodies the corruptive power of the imperial state.

August 1715. After going for a walk, Louis XIV feels a pain in his leg. Over the next few days, the king keeps fulfilling his duties, but his sleep is troubled and he has a serious fever. This is the start of the slow agony of the greatest king of France, surrounded by his relatives and doctors.