Pacifiction

Released Feb 17, 2023

2 hr. 42 min.

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

TRAILER

for Pacifiction: Trailer 1

List

87%

70 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

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. Especially since a persistent rumor has been going around: the sighting of a submarine whose ghostly presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Pacifiction on Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

Narratively sparse and visually vast, Pacifiction is a tsunami of a political thriller that philosophically rewards those willing to weather it.

Read Critics Reviews

Alec B

A John Le Carre thriller drained of urgency and clarity, which actually works better than you might think. The languid pace is genuinely hypnotic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/04/24

Full Review

PUPPETEERDOTBANDCAMP D

Amazing film about the myth that colonization ended when it takes the form of tourism, military exploits, hedonism, land deals, drugs, illusions of freedom and power, cultural domination over the indigenous, a world of make believe. The colors and photography in this film are extraordinary. The scene of the boating competition on giant waves is truly thrilling. Nature is a major star in this film. Surrealism, realism, and critique merge. A cinematic classic. One of the most intelligent and powerful films of 2023.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/23

Full Review

Mathew T

This movie is terrible. The plot is weak, script contrived, the acting unbelievable. And the scenes are endless and pointless; dull conversation, slow, going nowhere fast. Someone must have thought they were making art. Fail.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/08/23

Full Review

David B

Grass growing for 2-1/2 hours would have been more exciting. You're welcome.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/18/23

Full Review

Julia N

Absolutely brilliant. Best cinematic experience of the fantasy state of leaders, the vileness of colonialism/post colonialism: people as objects not human. If you want to understand Johnson, Truss, Trump, this is the film to be patient with and watch. You will be rewarded. If you are greedy, you will hate this film

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/13/23

Full Review

Tony A

Although visually attractive, the "thriller" aspect of this film never really led anywhere for little old me. Reviews promised a big finale, but was a big let-down.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/22/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Albert Serra

Director

Benoît Magimel

De Roller

Pahoa Mahagafanau

Shannah

Marc Susini

L'amiral

Matahi Pambrun

Matahi

Alexandre Mello

Le Portugais

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

79%

%

The Theory of Everything

81%

53%

Personal Shopper

TRAILER

for Personal Shopper

70%

100%

At the Gates

79%

%

La Syndicaliste

TRAILER

for La Syndicaliste

71%

%

Some Beasts

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Pacifiction: Trailer 1

1:35

View more videos

View more photos

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

With its slow-burning build, it is an unsettling, atmospheric piece that has something of the unknowable quality of the central character, with his glassy diplomat’s smile and shark’s eyes, inscrutable behind his blue-lensed sunglasses.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 24, 2023

Full Review

Jonathan Romney

Financial Times

Whether or not the film has anything politically serious to say — and there is always the teasing suggestion that it might — Pacifiction is an intoxicating pleasure.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 20, 2023

Full Review

Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Very good and unsettling.

Mar 15, 2023

Full Review

Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

For De Roller, what matters is that he reach a state of relational equilibrium between every player...

Jan 4, 2024

Full Review

Hector A. Gonzalez

Loud and Clear Reviews

Albert Serra’s latest feature, Pacifiction, mesmerizingly blends thriller genre tropes with surrealism to put the audience into a dread-induced hypnotic trance.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 4, 2024

Full Review

Alex Heeney

Seventh Row

With a languorous pace and a run-time of nigh three hours, Albert Serra’s Pacifiction is a spellbinding, if daunting, experience. Set in Tahiti, the film follows High Commissioner De Roller (Benoît Magimel) through his quotidian duties.

Jul 31, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

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. Especially since a persistent rumor has been going around: the sighting of a submarine whose ghostly presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing.

Director: Albert Serra
Screenwriter: Albert Serra
Distributor: Grasshopper Film
Production Co: Archipel Production, Tamtam Film GmbH, Idéale Audience, Rosa Filmes, Doco Digital, Andergraun Films, arte France Cinéma
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 17, 2023, Limited
Sound Mix: Digital 5.1
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now