Pola X (1999)

A young writer becomes intrigued with a mysterious dark-haired woman who claims to be his long-lost sister and he begin an unusual relationship with her prompting a downward spiral involving his domineering mother and lovely fiancée

Director:

Leos Carax

Writers:

Leos Carax, Jean-Pol Fargeau

Stars:

Guillaume Depardieu, Yekaterina Golubeva, Catherine Deneuve

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guillaume Depardieu	...	Pierre
Yekaterina Golubeva	...	Isabelle / Pierre's half-sister
Catherine Deneuve	...	Marie / Pierre's mother
Delphine Chuillot	...	Lucie / Pierre's cousin
Laurent Lucas	...	Thibault
Patachou	...	Margherite
Petruta Catana	...	Razerka
Mihaella Silaghi	...	The Child
Sharunas Bartas	...	The Chief
Samuel Dupuy	...	Fred
Mathias Mlekuz	...	TV presenter
Dine Souli	...	Taxi driver
Miguel Yeco	...	Augusto
Khireddine Medjoubi	...	Cafe owner's son
Mark Zak	...	Romanian friend

Storyline

Pierre, a young man of privilege, whose anonymously-published novel is a hit and who's about to marry his blond cousin, Lucie, abandons all when a dark-haired vagrant tells him her secret late one night in the woods: that she is Isabelle, his sister, abandoned by their father. Pierre breaks off with Lucie and his doting mother, heading for Paris with Isabelle, intent on knowing the dark side of human nature. He begins a novel, sending chapters under a pseudonym to his publisher; his relationship with Isabelle moves beyond the fraternal; and, in winter, the frail Lucie comes to live with them. Family jealousies mount, and Pierre may have discovered despair instead of the truth.

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Plot Keywords:

explicit sex | sex scene | male full frontal nudity | male pubic hair | incest | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Atlanta Filmes (Portugal)

Country:

France Switzerland Germany Japan

Language:

French

Release Date:

9 October 1999 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Pierre oder Der Kampf mit der Sphinx

Filming Locations:

North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

FRF71,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arena Films, Canal+, Degeto Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

An alternate longer TV version entitled "Pierre ou les ambiguïtés", edited in three one-hour episodes was shown for the first time on September 24, 2001 on Arte German-French TV channel. The original "POLA" title is the acronym of "Pierre Ou Les Ambiguïtés".

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Connections

Referenced in Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2006)

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Soundtracks

Ode on the Birthday of Queen Mary
Written by Henry Purcell
Performed by Alfred Deller and the Choir and Orchestra of Oriana, directed by Alfred Deller

User Reviews

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.