Pola X

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

5.4K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:37

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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

5.4K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,925

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 2 nominations total

Videos2

Photos100

+ 92

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Storyline

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Did you know

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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

Featured review

Amazing visuals, earnest film

What to say? The film is overdone, for sure, but I can't agree with criticism of the lack of naturalism in the film. It's melodramatic, yes, it's over-the-top, yes, it's self-important, yes, but for all that, I think it ends up telling a story with interest and passion that would be very difficult to tell except in this way. It's a story about a certain, highly Romantic worldview that, yes, is basically horseshit, but at least Carax is honest with his audience about where that kind of self-aggrandizement leads.

What almost saves the film from total pretentiousness is the fact that Pierre must lie in the bed he has made for himself. If one demands so much "truth" out of life, if one rejects anything with the slightest tinge of falsehood about it, then that is yet another ridiculous attitude. And by that I mean, yes, in the end Pierre is ridiculous, but maybe that's Carax's point?

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he does end up as a Romantic hero in the end. And maybe it's not so original for that reason.