Pacifiction
As High Commissioner of the French Republic, De Roller knows his way around the French Polynesian island of Tahiti. Always dressed in white suits, the charming politician moves with the greatest of ease from business meeting to seedy nightclub and from dance gig to surfing contest. Whether spawning locals or pressuring a priest, every encounter is a negotiation or performance. However, his diplomatic talents are severely tested when it is rumoured that a French submarine has been spotted off the coast of the island. Are the French planning another nuclear test in the area?
The multi-award-winning Pacifiction is a brooding, political thriller in which a cunning bureaucrat reaches the limits of his influence on an island paradise. In a hypnotic rhythm, director Albert Serra cites themes of colonial bureaucracy, geopolitical power plays and nuclear threats. With Benoît Magimel as the sometimes reckless Haut-Commissaire.