December 14–21, 2000

movie shorts

POLA X

recommended

Given the muted restraint we usually see out of France these days, Léos Carax stands out like an escaped convict at a debutante ball. Adapted from Herman Melville’s Pierre, Or the Ambiguities, POLA X tells the story of a wealthy scion (Guillaume Depardieu) who throws it all away to live with (and eventually bed down with) his long-lost sister (Yekaterina Golubyova). Stories of wealthy folks plunging themselves into degradation in search of enlightenment are tricky territory, and Carax shows little self-consciousness as to the offensive pitfalls of his chosen interpretation. What’s more, he indulges an awfully obvious choice of symbolism, dressing Pierre’s sister all in black and his increasingly-ignored fiancée in white. Hmmm, what could that mean? But even if it’s just a bravura stunt at times, POLA X is more vividly cinematic than the vast majority of movies in release. It’s the kind of movie you want to have an opinion on, even if most people don’t know what you’re talking about.

—Sam Adams

(See Sam Adams’ interview with writer-director Léos Carax.)