An investigation of the dark sides of human desire illustrated by the seventeenth-century European libertines, this is a sensual and intellectual film by Albert Serra about body, mind, imagination, sexuality, freedom, and death.
In 1774, a group of radical libertines expelled from of the court of Louis XVI seek the support and patronage of the German Duke of Walchen—a legendary philosopher, free spirit, and seducer. All they need is a safe place where they can continue to play their strange games at night. But dreams of a liberated pleasure which doesn’t obey Puritan ethics turn into a somber everyday routine.
Liberté is a slow-moving and grotesque film immersed into the dark utopia of flesh. It follows director Albert Serra’s play of the same title staged in Berlin’s Wolksbühne in 2018 and his recent solo show Personalien at Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid. The picture was world-premiered at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival where it received the Special Jury Prize.
Liberté
Director: Albert Serra
France, Portugal, Spain, 2019. 132 min. 18+
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