Mediterranean

Pollet created a film that exemplifies what French critics refer to as an *ovni* or UFO, meaning an "unidentified filmic object." The film has been described as "like a comet in the sky of French cinema," an "unknown masterpiece," and an "unprecedented" work that resists interpretation while generating extensive critical commentary. Its rhythmic collage of images — a girl on a gurney, a fisherman, Greek ruins, a Sicilian garden, a Spanish corrida — is accompanied by an abstract commentary written by Sollers. Only the somber lyricism of Antoine Duhamel’s score unites the film’s elements. At first viewing, one might fear the film will disintegrate into incoherent fragments. Instead, over the course of its 45 minutes, it establishes its own rules, and the viewer comes to realize they are witnessing something akin to the cinematic channeling of an ancient ritual.