Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Pola X

  • 19991999
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 14m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
Pola X (1999)
A young writer becomes intrigued with a mysterious dark-haired woman who claims to be his long-lost sister, starting an unusual relationship with her and prompting a downward spiral involving his domineering mother and lovely fiancée.
Play trailer1:37
2 Videos
84 Photos
  • Drama
  • Romance
A young writer becomes intrigued with a mysterious dark-haired woman who claims to be his long-lost sister, starting an unusual relationship with her and prompting a downward spiral involvin... Read allA young writer becomes intrigued with a mysterious dark-haired woman who claims to be his long-lost sister, starting an unusual relationship with her and prompting a downward spiral involving his domineering mother and lovely fiancée.A young writer becomes intrigued with a mysterious dark-haired woman who claims to be his long-lost sister, starting an unusual relationship with her and prompting a downward spiral involving his domineering mother and lovely fiancée.
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Leos Carax
  • Writers
    • Leos Carax
    • Jean-Pol Fargeau
    • Herman Melville(novel "Pierre, or, the Ambiguities")
  • Stars
    • Guillaume Depardieu
    • Yekaterina Golubeva
    • Catherine Deneuve
Top credits
  • Director
    • Leos Carax
  • Writers
    • Leos Carax
    • Jean-Pol Fargeau
    • Herman Melville(novel "Pierre, or, the Ambiguities")
  • Stars
    • Guillaume Depardieu
    • Yekaterina Golubeva
    • Catherine Deneuve
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 48User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations

    Videos2

    Trailer 2 [OV]
    Trailer 1:37
    Trailer 2 [OV]
    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 0:45
    Trailer [OV]

    Photos84

    Catherine Deneuve and Guillaume Depardieu in Pola X (1999)
    Pola X (1999)
    Guillaume Depardieu and Yekaterina Golubeva in Pola X (1999)
    Pola X (1999)
    Pola X (1999)
    Pola X (1999)
    Guillaume Depardieu and Yekaterina Golubeva in Pola X (1999)
    Pola X (1999)
    Guillaume Depardieu and Yekaterina Golubeva in Pola X (1999)
    Pola X (1999)
    Guillaume Depardieu and Yekaterina Golubeva in Pola X (1999)
    Pola X (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Guillaume Depardieu
    Guillaume Depardieu
    • Pierre…
    Yekaterina Golubeva
    Yekaterina Golubeva
    • Isabelle…
    Catherine Deneuve
    Catherine Deneuve
    • Marie…
    Delphine Chuillot
    Delphine Chuillot
    • Lucie…
    Laurent Lucas
    Laurent Lucas
    • Thibault…
    Patachou
    Patachou
    • Margherite
    Petruta Catana
    • Razerka
    Mihaella Silaghi
    • La Petite
    Sharunas Bartas
    Sharunas Bartas
    • Le Chef
    Samuel Dupuy
    • Fred
    Mathias Mlekuz
    • Présentateur TV
    Dine Souli
    • Chauffeur de Taxi
    Miguel Yeco
    • Augusto
    Khireddine Medjoubi
    • FIls du Patron du Café
    Mark Zak
    • L'Ami Roumain
    Anne Richter
    • Femme du Chef
    Myriam Defremont
    • Policier
    Michel B. Dupérial
    • Policier
    • Director
      • Leos Carax
    • Writers
      • Leos Carax
      • Jean-Pol Fargeau
      • Herman Melville(novel "Pierre, or, the Ambiguities")
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Boy Meets Girl
    6.9
    Boy Meets Girl
    Bad Blood
    7.2
    Bad Blood
    The Lovers on the Bridge
    7.6
    The Lovers on the Bridge
    Gradiva
    5.9
    Gradiva
    Holy Motors
    7.0
    Holy Motors
    Sans titre
    6.3
    Sans titre
    Tokyo!
    7.0
    Tokyo!
    Baise-moi
    4.4
    Baise-moi
    Three Days
    6.8
    Three Days
    Annette
    6.3
    Annette
    Romance
    5.2
    Romance
    Twentynine Palms
    5.1
    Twentynine Palms

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Pola is an acronym for "Pierre ou les ambiguites," the French translation of the title of the Herman Melville novel on which the film is based.
    • Quotes

      Margherite: Be careful! You dream of writing a mature work, but your charm lies in your thorough immaturity. You dream of setting fire to God knows what, of rising above your times like a dazzling cloud, leaving everyone terrified and admiring. But you weren't born for that, Pierre! You don't even believe it yourself.

    • Crazy credits
      After credits there's a dedication "à mes trois soeurs" ("for my three sisters").
    • Alternate versions
      An alternate longer TV version entitled "Pierre ou les ambiguïtés", edited in 3 one-hour episodes, was shown for the first time on September 24, 2001 on 'Arte', the German-French TV channel. The 3 episodes feature an additional 40 minutes of footage and are titled 'A la lumière' (In the Light), 'A l'ombre des lumières' (In the Shadows of the Lights) and 'Dans le sang' (In the Blood). The TV-version is closer to Carax' original concept, that the film should consist of 3 distinct parts: "The film was thought to be in three parts, three chapters. There's the one chapter in the countryside, called 'In the Light.' I knew this chapter would be light, it would be green and white, green for nature. I dyed all of the actors' hairs blonde and put them in white shirts. (...) So the film is going from light to darkness and rust. (...) So there was a conscious [decision] of going from light to dark, and from 35mm to 16mm." (Sept. 2000) The 3-episodes-TV-version is not only longer, but features different footage. The new sequences explore the dreams of Pierre and his relationship with his mother, sister and fiancée. The 3-episodes-TV-version has not been released on other media yet.
    • Connections
      Featured in Mr. X, a Vision of Leos Carax (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      Light
      Written by Scott Walker

      Performed by Orchestre Philharmonique de Paris

      Conducted by Jean-Claude Dubois

      Christophe Guiot (1st violin)

    User reviews48

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    interesting
    This movie starts off somewhat slowly and gets running towards the end. Not that that is bad, it was done to illustrate character trait degression of the main character. Consequently, if you are not into tragedies, this is not your movie. It is the thought provoking philosophy of this movie that makes it worthwhile. If you liked Dostoyevsky's 'Crime and Punishment," you will probably like this if only for the comparisons. The intriguing question that the movie prompts is, "What is it that makes a renowned writer completely disregard his publicly-aproved ideas for another set?" The new ideas are quite opposed to the status quo-if you are a conservative you will not like this movie.

    Besides other philosophical questions, I must admit that the movie was quite aesthetically pleasing as well. The grassy hillsides and beautiful scenery helped me get past the slow start. Also, there was use of coloric symbolism in representing the mindstate of the main characters. If these sorts of things do not impress you, skip it. Overall I give this movie a 7.
    helpful•12
    9
    • bedazzle
    • Apr 6, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 9, 1999 (Japan)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Switzerland
      • Germany
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Atlanta Filmes (Portugal)
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Пола Х
    • Filming locations
      • North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
    • Production companies
      • ARD Degeto Film
      • Arena Films
      • Canal+
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • FRF 71,500,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 14 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Pola X (1999)
    Top Gap
    What is the German language plot outline for Pola X (1999)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in July
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    The Best Movies Coming This Summer
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.