August 1715. After going for a walk, Louis XIV feels a pain in his leg. Over the next few days, the king keeps fulfilling his duties, but his sleep is troubled and he has a serious fever. This is the start of the slow agony of the greatest king of France, surrounded by his relatives and doctors.

In all playful seriousness, the master of slow cinema Albert Serra surprised audiences with this homage to the legendary Jean-Pierre Léaud. Seen as an allegory for the mythical actor’s own slow decline, this grandiose piece provides some of the most beautiful Versailles imagery ever seen on screen.