Liberté (2019 film)

Liberté is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Albert Serra.[1] Set in the 18th century, it tells the story of the libertines that spend a night of sexual debauchery in the forest. The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2019.[2][3] It was the final film appearance of Helmut Berger before his death in May 2023.

Not to be confused with the 2019 war film, Liberté: A Call to Spy.

Liberté
Film poster
Directed byAlbert Serra
Written byAlbert Serra
Starring
  • Helmut Berger
  • Marc Susini
  • Iliana Zabeth
  • Laura Poulvet
  • Baptiste Pinteaux
  • Theodora Marcadé
  • Alexander García Düttmann
  • Lluís Serrat
  • Xavier Pérez
  • Francesc Daranas
  • Catalin Jugravu
  • Montse Triola
  • Safira Robens
CinematographyArtur Tort
Edited byAriadna Ribas
Release date
  • 18 May 2019 (2019-05-18) (Cannes)
Running time
132 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Germany
  • Portugal
  • Spain
Languages
  • French
  • German
  • Italian

Plot

In the 18th century, the libertines spend a night of sexual debauchery in the forest.

Cast
  • Helmut Berger as Duc de Walchen
  • Marc Susini as Comte de Tésis
  • Iliana Zabeth as Mademoiselle de Jensling
  • Laura Poulvet as Mademoiselle de Geldöbel
  • Baptiste Pinteaux as Duc de Wand
  • Theodora Marcadé as Madame de Dumeval
  • Alexander García Düttmann as Comte Alexis Danshire
  • Lluís Serrat as Armin
  • Xavier Pérez as Capitaine Benjamin Hephie
  • Francesc Daranas as Libertine
  • Catalin Jugravu as Catalin
  • Montse Triola as Madame Montavril
  • Safira Robens as Mademoiselle de Rubens

Production

The film was preceded by an installation at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid and a theater play.[4] For the film, Albert Serra got inspiration from the French painters such as Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard and François Boucher.[4] The cast consists of a mix of professional and non-professional actors.[4]

Initially the scene in which the men pour milk and semen on the totally naked body of Mademoiselle de Jensling, played by Iliana Zabeth, was supposed to be a little different. "In my main scene, for example, I was supposed to be tied up, but not suspended, this was decided later. Then I did a lot of research on shibari. Then other elements were added to the shooting, such as milk. We explored a lot on set," said Zabeth.[5]

Talking about the 'golden shower' scene, director Albert Serra revealed that the guy being urinated on by Theodora Marcadé (playing Madame de Dumeval) and by off-screen participants, wasn't a professional actor. "It's played by the guy who does the post-production of all my films, he came on set especially for that, it's the only time I made a request," Serra said.[6]

The cast consists of a mix of professional and non-professional actors and includes two of the film's technicians. One of them is Laura Poulvet, who is the set decorator but also plays Mademoiselle de Geldöbel's character.[7]

Release

The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2019.[2][3] It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival,[8] the New York Film Festival,[9] and the International Film Festival Rotterdam.[10] It was released in France on 4 September 2019.[11]

Reception

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "It may prove more tedious than titillating for some, but Liberté boldly blurs the line between filmgoer and voyeur."[12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]

Carson Lund of Slant Magazine gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, writing, "Serra's overriding impulse in Liberté is to bask in the atmospheric peculiarities of his fantasized scenario, a drive that places the film in closer proximity to an immersive museum exhibition than to narrative cinema."[14] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter commented that "even as pornography, it's not much of a source of joy, and the dialogue is even more risible than some of the worst efforts out of the San Fernando Valley."[15]

Accolades
Award Year of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Cannes Film Festival 2019 Special Jury Prize: Un Certain Regard Liberté Won [16][17]
Gaudí Awards 2020 Best Costume Design Rosa Tharrats Won [18][19]
Best Makeup and Hairstyles Antoine Mancini, Armande Monteiro, and Laurence Abraham Yaeger Won
Best Non-Catalan Language Film Liberté Nominated

References
  1. "The Screenings Guide 2019". Cannes Film Festival. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  2. Florescu, Ioana (3 May 2019). "Films Boutique pulls out all the stops for Cannes". Cineuropa. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  3. "Liberté as seen by Albert Serra". Cannes Film Festival. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  4. Dima, Flavia (3 July 2019). "Freedom: Albert Serra". Mubi. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  5. "" Liberté " : Entretien avec Iliana Zabeth, actrice". seances-speciales.fr. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  6. "Entretien avec Albert Serra". www.lepolyester.com. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  7. "Cannes gets steamy with sado-masochistic debauchery". Retrieved 5 August 2022 – via PressReader.
  8. "Liberté". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  9. "Liberté". Film at Lincoln Center. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  10. "Liberté". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  11. "Liberté". AlloCine. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  12. "Freedom". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  13. "Liberté". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  14. Lund, Carson (5 September 2019). "Review: Liberté Audaciously Revels in an Amorphous Night of Transgression". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  15. Felperin, Leslie (22 May 2019). "'Liberte': Film Review | Cannes 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  16. Lodge, Guy (24 May 2019). "Brazil's 'Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão' Wins Cannes Un Certain Regard Award". Variety. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  17. Richford, Rhonda (24 May 2019). "Cannes: Karim Ainouz's 'Invisible Life' Takes Top Prize in Un Certain Regard". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  18. "Guardonades - XII Premis Gaudí". Catalan Film Academy. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  19. "Nominades - XII Premis Gaudí". Catalan Film Academy. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
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