88
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.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
80
Screen International by Allan Hunter
It is the attention to detail and the refusal to compromise that allows Serra to create such a compelling, coherent vision.
70
The vividness of the realization — with a sound design that emphasizes every chew and tick of the clock — makes the movie continually engrossing.
40
The period atmosphere isn't alive with bold ideas as much as decay.
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij
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.
75
Catalan prankster Albert Serra's film ultimately emerges as a compact, improbably riveting viewing experience.
83
The Film Stage by Ethan Vestby
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.
80
The New York Times by Glenn Kenny
[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.
58
The A.V. Club by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
It’s such a conceptually fertile film that one wishes that it weren’t also a bore.
70
Village Voice by Melissa Anderson
Delicately balanced between grandeur and absurdity, Serra's film maintains this tricky equilibrium largely thanks to the icon whose face fills the screen.