Pacifiction

{{Infobox film

| name = Pacifiction

| image = Pacifiction – Tourment sur les îles 2022 film poster.png

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| native_name = {{Infobox name module|fr|Pacifiction – Tourment sur les îles|nolink=yes}}

| director = Albert Serra

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Pierre-Olivier Bardet
Albert Serra
Montse Triola
Dirk Decker
Andrea Schütte
Joaquim Sapinho
Marta Alves
Laurent Jacquemin

}}

| writer = Albert Serra

| starring = Benoît Magimel

| music = {{Plainlist|

Marc Verdaguer
Joe Robinson

}}

| cinematography = Artur Tort

| editing = {{Plainlist|

Albert Serra
Artur Tort
Ariadna Ribas

}}

| production_companies = {{Plainlist|

Idéale Audience Group (France)
Andergraun Films (Spain)
Tamtam Film (Germany)
Rosa Filmes (Portugal)

}}

| distributor = {{ubl|Les Films du Losange (France)|Elastica (Spain)}}

| released = {{Film date|2022|05|26|Cannes|2022|09|02|Spain|2022|11|9|France|df=yes}}

| runtime = 165 minutes{{cite web |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/pacifiction-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdexoti2 |title=Pacifiction |website=British Board of Film Classification |access-date=17 April 2023}}

| country = {{Plainlist|

France
Spain
Portugal
Germany

}}

| language = {{Plainlist|

French
English
Tahitian
Portuguese

}}

| budget =

| gross = $298,934{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=13702796|title=Pacifiction (2022)|access-date=27 December 2022}}

}}

Pacifiction ({{langx|fr|Pacifiction – Tourment sur les îles}}) is a 2022 thriller drama film written and directed by Albert Serra, and starring Benoît Magimel. The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or.{{cite web |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/festival/films/pacifiction|title=Pacifiction|last= |first= |date= |website=Festival de Cannes |publisher=Festival de Cannes |access-date=12 November 2022 |quote=}} The film title is a portmanteau of the words Pacific and fiction.{{Cite web |last=Wham |first=James |date=15 July 2022 |title=Pacific Fictions |url=https://newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/pacific-fictions |access-date=16 February 2023 |website=New Left Review}}

Plot

"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. A persistent rumour also has been going around: The sighting of a submarine with a ghostly presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing."

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Benoît Magimel as High Commissioner De Roller
Pahoa Mahagafanau as Shannah
Marc Susini as l'amiral
Matahi Pambrun as Matahi
Alexandre Mello as le Portugais
Sergi López as Morton
Montse Triola as Francesca
Michael Vautor as le capitaine
Cécile Guilbert as Romane Attia
Lluís Serrat as Lois
Mike Landscape as M. Mike
Cyrus Arai as Cyrus
Mareva Wong as la secrétaire
Baptiste Pinteaux as Olivier

}}

Release

The film screened at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on 26 May 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20220526/8296723/albert-serra-desconcierta-cannes-bizarra-magnetica-pacifiction.html|website=La Vanguardia|date=26 May 2022|title=Albert Serra desconcierta en Cannes con la bizarra y magnética "Pacifiction|access-date=14 November 2022|first=Magdalena|language=es|last=Tsanis}} Distributed by Elastica, it was released theatrically in Spain on 2 September 2022. It was released by Les Films du Losange in France on 9 November 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/cinema/sorties-de-films/pacifiction-tourment-sur-les-iles-benoit-magimel-surnage-dans-un-thriller-despionnage-en-eaux-trop-calmes_5455795.html|title=Pacifiction - Tourment sur les îles : Benoît Magimel surnage dans un thriller d'espionnage en eaux trop calmes|last=Belsoeur|first=Camille|website=www.francetvinfo.fr|language=fr|access-date=12 November 2022}}

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads, "Narratively sparse and visually vast, Pacifiction is a tsunami of a political thriller that philosophically rewards those willing to weather it."{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=Pacifiction|type=m|id=pacifiction|access-date=31 December 2022}} According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 18 critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews".{{cite Metacritic|id=pacifiction|type=movie|title=Pacifiction Reviews|access-date=31 December 2022}}

Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that he was "captivated by the film and its stealthy evocation of pure evil."{{cite news|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=26 May 2022|title=Pacifiction review – trouble in paradise, in apocalyptic Tahitian mystery|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/26/pacifiction-review-trouble-in-paradise-in-apocalyptic-tahitian-mystery|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=12 November 2022}} Christian Blauvelt of IndieWire wrote, "Pacifiction is not a vicarious experience of luxury; it is an experience of life. Set to its own tidal rhythm, it is one of the most beautiful and rigorously introspective movies of this or any year."{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/10/pacifiction-review-albert-serra-1234771158/|title='Pacifiction' Review: Here's the Art Film of the Year|last=Blauvelt|first=Christian|date=12 October 2022|website=IndieWire|access-date=12 November 2022}} The Hollywood Reporter{{'}}s Leslie Felperin called it "Punishingly slow, though not uninteresting."{{cite magazine|last=Felperin|first=Leslie|date=27 May 2022|title='Pacifiction': Film Review {{!}} Cannes 2022|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/pacifiction-film-cannes-2022-1235155244/|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=12 November 2022}} Guy Lodge of Variety wrote, "Provided they stick with the film's luxuriantly gradual pacing... there are rewards here even for more bemused viewers caught in its tide."{{cite magazine|last=Lodge|first=Guy|date=27 May 2022|title='Pacifiction' Review: Albert Serra's Torpid Tahitian Getaway is Cryptic But Curiously Hypnotic|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/pacifiction-review-1235278643/|magazine=Variety|access-date=12 November 2022}} Nando Salvá of Cinemanía rated the film 4½ out of 5 stars, underscoring the film to be "Romantic. Seductive. Hypnotic. Overwhelming" as a verdict.{{Cite web|url=https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/criticas/critica-de-pacifiction-5046674/|first=Nando|last=Salvá|date=31 August 2022|access-date=13 November 2022|title=Crítica de 'Pacifiction'|website=Cinemanía|via=20minutos.es}}

= Top ten lists =

The film appeared on some critics' top-ten lists of the best films of 2022:

1st — Cahiers du Cinéma (staff consensus)''{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/12/cahiers-du-cinema-best-films-of-2022-list-1234787270/|website=IndieWire|title='Pacifiction' Tops Cahiers du Cinema's Best Films of 2022 List|first=Christian|last=Zilko|date=1 December 2022}}
1st — ScreenDaily (Jonathan Romney){{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-pick-10-best-movies-of-2022|website=Metacritic|date=6 December 2022|first=Jason|last=Dietz|title=Critics pick the best movies of 2022|access-date=1 January 2023|archive-date=2 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102111332/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-pick-10-best-movies-of-2022|url-status=dead}}
5th — Artforum (James Quandt)

It also appeared on a number of critics' top-ten lists of the best European films of 2022:

{{Column list|

1st — Cineuropa (David González){{Cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/436093/|date=21 December 2022|title=Cineuropa's Best of 2022|website=Cineuropa}}
1st — Cineuropa (David Katz)
1st — Cineuropa (Alfonso Rivera)
2nd — Cineuropa (Martin Kudlac)
2nd — Cineuropa (Fabien Lemercier)
3rd — Cineuropa (Júlia Olmo)
3rd — Cineuropa (Cristóbal Soage)
9th — Cineuropa (Vladan Petkovic)

}}

Accolades

| align = "center" | 2022 || Louis Delluc Prize || colspan = "2" | Best Film of the Year || {{won|{{Abbrv|Won|ex-aequo with "Saint Omer"}}}} || {{Cite web|url=https://www.rtbf.be/article/le-prix-delluc-recompense-ex-aequo-les-films-saint-omer-d-alice-diop-et-pacifiction-d-albert-serra-11114773|website=rtbf.be|title=Le Prix Delluc récompense ex aequo les films "Saint Omer" d'Alice Diop et "Pacifiction" d'Albert Serra|date=30 November 2022}}

| rowspan = "26" align = "center" | 2023

| rowspan = "5" | 28th Lumières Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Film || {{nom}} || rowspan = "5" align = "center" | {{Cite web|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/cinema/lumieres-2023-la-nuit-du-12-pacifiction-saint-omer-et-les-enfants-des-autres-en-tete-des-nominations_5545983.html|website=France Info|date=15 December 2022|title=Lumières 2023 : "La Nuit du 12", "Pacifiction", "Saint Omer" et "Les Enfants des autres" en tête des nominations}}

| Best Director || Albert Serra || {{won}}

| Best Actor || Benoît Magimel || {{won}}

| Best Cinematography || Artur Tort || {{won}}

| Best Music || Marc Verdaguer || {{nom}}

| rowspan = "11" | 15th Gaudí Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Non-Catalan Language Film || {{won}} || rowspan = "11" | {{Cite web|url=https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/noticias/premios-gaudi-alcarras-un-ano-una-noche-nominaciones-5084551/|website=Cinemanía|via=20minutos.es|date=14 December 2022|title='Alcarràs' y 'Un año, una noche', favoritas en los Premios Gaudí: lista de nominaciones}}

| Best Director || Albert Serra || {{nom}}

| Best Actor || Benoît Magimel || {{nom}}

| Best Original Screenplay || Albert Serra || {{nom}}

| Best Cinematography || Artur Tort || {{won}}

| Best Editing || Albert Serra, Artur Tort, Ariadna Ribas || {{nom}}

| Best Production Supervision || Clàudia Robert || {{nom}}

| Best Art Direction || Sebastian Vogler || {{won}}

| Best Costume Design || Práxedes de Villalonga || {{nom}}

| Best Makeup and Hairstyles || Aurélie Vigouroux, Maryline Montibert || {{nom}}

| Best Original Score || Marc Verdaguer, Joe Robinson || {{nom}}

| 10th Feroz Awards || colspan = "2" | Arrebato Award (Fiction) || {{nom}} || align = "center" | {{Cite web|url=https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/noticias/premios-feroz-2023-palmares-completo-5096359/|website=Cinemanía|via=20minutos.es|date=29 January 2023|title=Premios Feroz 2023 {{!}} Palmarés completo: empatan 'As bestas' y 'Cinco lobitos' en cine y 'La ruta' y 'No me gusta conducir' en series}}

| rowspan="9"| 48th César Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Film || {{nom}} || align="center" rowspan="9"|{{cite news|last1=Roxborough|first1=Scott|last2=Vlessing|first2=Etan|date=24 February 2023|title=César Awards: 'The Night of the 12th' Named Best Picture|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/cesar-awards-2023-film-paris-1235333378/|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=26 February 2023}}

| Best Director || Albert Serra || {{nom}}

| Best Actor || Benoît Magimel || {{won}}

| Best Cinematography || Artur Tort || {{won}}

| Best Original Music || Marc Verdaguer, Joe Robinson || {{nom}}

| Best Costume Design || Praxedes de Vilallonga || {{nom}}

| Best Production Design || Sebastian Vogler || {{nom}}

| Best Sound || Jordi Ribas, Benjamin Laurent, Bruno Tarriere || {{nom}}

| Best Visual Effects || Marco del Bianco || {{nom}}