LIBERTÉ World Cinema

LIBERTÉ

In his latest provocation Catalan filmmaker Albert Serra (THE DEATH OF LOUIS XIV) finds a small clearing in the woods somewhere between Potsdam and Berlin where, over the course of one extended night of debauchery, a band of exiled Libertines seeking support from the German Duc de Walchen (Helmut Berger) will revel in the freedom to take sexuality to its darkest places. In the absence of imposed morality, their philosophy espouses an enlightenment that can be attained through hedonistic pursuits and unrestrained animalistic impulse. To the rhythmic drone of a chorus of cicadas, they will push sexuality to its limits in a display of depraved decadence, where the absolute end is when sex meets death. –Malin Kan

Born in Banyoles in 1975, Albert Serra is a Catalan artist and director. He gained international recognition with his first feature, HONOR OF THE KNIGHTS, a free adaptation of Don Quixote played by non-professional actors from his village. The film was presented at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2006. For his second film, BIRDSONG, Serra worked with the same group of people to tell the story of the Three Wise Men following their guiding star to find Jesus. In 2013, he received the Golden Leopard in Locarno for STORY OF MY DEATH, inspired by Casanova’s memoirs. THE DEATH OF LOUIS XIV, starring Jean-Pierre Léaud as the Sun King, was presented in the Official Selection of Cannes Film Festival 2016.

Tom Sveen
The Cinema Guild
tom@cinemaguild.com

Details

Country: France, Spain

Year: 2019

Director: Albert Serra

Screenwriter: Albert Serra

Producers: Pierre-Olivier Bardet, Joaquim Sapinho, Albert Serra & Montse Triola

Director of Photography: Artur Tort

Editors: Ariadna Ribas, Albert Serra, Artur Tort

Production Designer: Sebastian Vogler

Music: Marc Verdaguer, Ferran Font

Cast/Featuring: Lluís Serrat, Marc Susini, Théodora Marcadé, Helmut Berger, Alex Duttman, Xavier Perez, Baptiste Pinteaux, Laura Poulvet, Iliana Zabeth, Cătălin Jugravu

Running Time (minutes): 132 min

Languages: French, German, Italian

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