PACIFICTION World Cinema

Screening to be followed by a conversation with director Albert Serra.

Turning his lens to the tropical landscapes of Tahiti, Albert Serra’s latest marks a departure from his usual subject of historical aristocratic decay, which culminated with the debaucherous LIBERTÉ (AFI FEST 2019). A dreamy, hypnotic political thriller, PACIFICTION observes the uneasy relationships on the French Polynesian island between Indigenous hotel staff, European tourists and the French military presence. Benoît Magimel spectacularly embodies a calculating but charismatic French bureaucrat named De Roller, who roams around the island with growing paranoia, in a balancing act of diplomatic machinations and business dealings. Starring opposite Magimel is newcomer Pahoa Mahagafanau, with a mesmerizing breakout performance as third-gender Polynesian choreographer Shannah, who develops an increasingly beguiling relationship with De Roller. Seeped in languid monologues and cryptic lyricism, PACIFICTION exposes the corrosive exoticism and colonialist remnants hidden beneath the colorful sunsets of the lush resort milieu. –Anna Li