Six presidents, one golden cage, zero escape from history's weight.
52 minSeason 1 • Episode 2
LatestBy making the Elysée Palace the most coveted, and also one of the most mysterious residences in France, the founder of the Fifth Republic surely never imagined that his successors would discover the immense solitude of power there. De Gaulle, Pompidou, Giscard d’Estaing, Mitterrand, Chirac, Sarkozy, then Hollande: Each of them had the opportunity to experience the dizzying nature of supreme office in this 18th century palace with the appearance of a bunker. It is this intimate, solitary and silent history that is recounted here, through key events, previously unheard accounts, and rare archive footage. The film reveals above all how heads of state are capable of secretly walling themselves up in serenity, gravity, tragedy, or dignity, as they embrace their destiny along with that of France.
Editing
Rare archive footage woven like a fever dream of French grandeur.
Direction
Djian treats the palace as a character—beautiful, suffocating, alive.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Élysée's underground bunker was built for De Gaulle during the Algerian War and remains operational today—complete with a kitchen that can feed 100 people indefinitely.
The film's release in 2017 deliberately shadowed Hollande's final months, making its meditation on presidential loneliness feel almost cruelly prophetic.
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