IFFR 2020 - Liberté (Freedom)
IFFR
Liberté is the latest movie from Albert Serra and follows the crazy night of three libertines who have been sent away from the puritanical court of Louis XIV. They aim to export their libertine philosophy based on this rejection of moral boundaries and in doing so, the audience can witness their deepest perversions throughout the film.
Liberté takes place over what appears to be one night and starts with a rather talkative first part, where some of the perversions that will happen can be heard. The dense forest and the excellent use of lighting and shadows creates an eerie, dream-like landscape and the meditative “nature” of the movie recalls the second half of Historia de la meva mort.
What follows are two contemplative hours that explore the sadistic desires of the libertines. Liberté is not enjoyable; it has a sluggish pace and some shocking and unsettling images will undoubtedly turn mass amounts of viewers off, yet those scenes have a purpose in conveying the power of perversion those libertines had over their young devotees.
Comparisons between Liberté and Pasolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom seem obvious, but both features are quite the opposite despite sharing some common themes. Pasolini’s hellish film shows different power dynamics in comparison to Liberté, in that the Italian director represents a more concrete form of power through the RSI (Repubblica Sociale Italiana) officials and how they use their political position to exercise the psychological terror over the young anti-fascists.
In Liberté, the characters are confined in this forest and they are “free” to express their new “religion” that prohibits what is forbidden. Yet at the same time, the libertines are somehow enslaved by this new form of power, embodied by an idea, which is the concept of freedom pushed to its maximum limits.
Albert Serra does not limit himself in showing the perversions as some specific sexual desire but digs deep in the human condition of his characters. The sex scenes are not lustful, there is more pain and disgust than pleasure. Nevertheless, this works in the context of the movie and the historical period the director wants to describe. Serra’s mise en scène is rather brilliant and the sound design overall is effective, mixing the forest soundscape adequately with the various interactions between the characters.
Liberté is a wild yet fascinating experience, a film that challenges its viewers for the entire length in its representation of freedom. As the night ends and the sun slowly rises, the libertines fade away, as does their “philosophy”. This shows that their radical way of life could not exist in the daylight and those men were designed to be creatures in darkness. The last scene has a harrowing feeling as everything becomes brighter and the remains of the night disappear.