The Death of Louis XIV
Cinema Guild, The | Release Date: March 31, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)James AdamsJul 13, 2017
A masterpiece. Admittedly, callow viewers may have difficulty getting past the cumulously bewigged Jean-Pierre Léaud’s uncanny resemblance to Phil Spector, circa 2008. Read full review
100
The GuardianPeter BradshawJul 13, 2017
This quietly amazing film is conceived in terms of pure minimalist intimacy. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comNell MinowMar 29, 2017
The small but wonderfully rich details of the film invite us in: the trembling of a wrinkled cheek, the arch of an eyebrow, the flicker of a candle, and especially the superbly evocative sound design. Read full review
83
The Film StageEthan VestbyMar 28, 2017
The Death of Louis XIV may be Serra’s clearest film in terms of formal patterns and his most mysterious in actual meaning. It depends on who you ask; to this writer, that’s a good thing. Read full review
80
EmpireSimon CrookJul 17, 2017
Serra’s sad, stately, haunting addition to the slow-cinema genre doubles up as both an intimate study of the Sun King’s death and a requiem for Europe’s fading arthouse scene. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonTrevor JohnstonJul 12, 2017
The painterly camerawork shows the sheer sophistication possible these days with digital technology. The only conventional note in a highly distinctive film touched with wry humour is the too-safe choice of a Mozart music cue. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJun 1, 2017
In The Death of Louis XIV, Léaud shows us stray glimmers of the droll conversationalist and irrepressible bon vivant the Sun King once must have been. But his performance is finally a magnificent stare into the abyss, a sustained contemplation of things we would rather not dwell upon but will ultimately have to face. Read full review
80
The New York TimesGlenn KennyMar 30, 2017
[Mr. Léaud's] riveting, and a little alarming. As for Mr. Serra, while he often enjoys playing the foppish provocateur in his interviews, his film is sober, meticulous and entirely convincing in its depiction of period and mortality. Read full review
80
Screen DailyAllan HunterMar 28, 2017
It is the attention to detail and the refusal to compromise that allows Serra to create such a compelling, coherent vision. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineCarson LundMar 28, 2017
Catalan prankster Albert Serra's film ultimately emerges as a compact, improbably riveting viewing experience. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMelissa AndersonMar 30, 2017
Delicately balanced between grandeur and absurdity, Serra's film maintains this tricky equilibrium largely thanks to the icon whose face fills the screen. Read full review
70
VarietyBen KenigsbergMar 28, 2017
The vividness of the realization — with a sound design that emphasizes every chew and tick of the clock — makes the movie continually engrossing. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijMar 28, 2017
By cataloging every spoon of food not eaten, every sip of water not swallowed and every sigh and every groan uttered, the myth becomes a man and the inherent paradox of being a divine ruler is revealed. Read full review
60
Total FilmKate StablesJul 13, 2017
Jean-Pierre Léaud effortlessly summons up the iron ruler inside the failing man. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyMar 29, 2017
It’s such a conceptually fertile film that one wishes that it weren’t also a bore. Read full review
40
CineVueBen NicholsonMar 28, 2017
The period atmosphere isn't alive with bold ideas as much as decay. Read full review
More From This Movie

76 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 63 Normal
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL