Pola X

Okay, this is what we know for certain. "Pola X" is an acronym for " Pierre, ou les Ambiguïtés," which, at least on paper, would make it an adaptation of Herman Melville's eponymous 1952 novel. (The 'X' reportedly denotes the tenth draft of the script.) It stars Guillaume (son of Gérard) Depardieu, Katerina Golubeva, and Catherine Deneuve (does this woman ever age?!). And the film runs a (very long) 134 minutes. After that, frankly, we're a bit adrift, but if the box says it's the story of a young successful author who, after uncovering the identity of a woman who haunts his every thought, undergoes "an erotically charged descent into madness," then who are we to disagree. N.Y. Times critic Stephen Holden summed up this pretentious mess with the ambiguous, "When it's over, you'll know you've had an experience." Granted, but it's not one I'm recommending. (S. C. Sickles)