Albert Serra | France | 2016 | 115’

This stunningly beautiful film could be an art museum masterpiece; every frame, costume and nuanced gesture expresses a level of art few movies achieve. Upon returning from a hunting expedition, King Louis XIV feels a sharp pain in his leg. He begins to die, surrounded by loyal followers in the royal chambers. Based on extensive medical records and the memoirs of the Duke of Saint-Simon and other courtiers, Catalan director Albert Serra’s film has a documentary-like authenticity, matching the unblinking instincts of a modern reality TV series with the visual allure of the old masters.