The Phantom of Liberty (re-release)

The curtain opens on a haunting tableau, inspired by the works of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Francisco Goya. In Toledo, 1808, a city occupied by French Napoleonic troops, a chilling scene unfolds as a firing squad executes a group of Spanish rebels who cry out against their oppressors. The soldiers, encamped in a Catholic church, desecrate the sacred space with their revelry, drinking, singing, and devouring communion wafers. Amidst this chaos, the captain pays homage to Doña Elvira de Castañeda, only to be met with unexpected retribution from her husband's statue. The echoes of this brutal episode still linger as we jump forward in time.

In the present day, a nanny sits quietly on a park bench, lost in thought as she reads aloud from a book. Her charges, oblivious to the world around them, are gifted strange pictures by an enigmatic figure. As the children return home, they eagerly share their new treasures with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Foucauld, who are shocked yet inexplicably drawn to the images. It soon becomes clear that these seemingly innocuous postcards hold a deeper significance, one that awakens a primal attraction within the couple. The nanny's services are subsequently terminated as the family dismisses her without explanation.

As night falls, Mr. Foucauld finds himself unable to sleep, his rest disturbed by an assortment of nocturnal visitors: a roaming cockerel, a watch-carrying woman, a postman, and an emu, each one a harbinger of the strange and unsettling events that have taken up residence in this seemingly ordinary household. The boundaries between reality and fantasy begin to blur, setting the stage for a journey into the depths of human psyche.

As the husband's physician dismisses the evidence of nocturnal encounters as mere hallucinations, the husband himself is left without a meaningful explanation for the mysterious events that unfold under the cover of darkness. Meanwhile, a nurse, tasked with delivering news of her father's illness to her doctor-employer, embarks on a journey through a torrential downpour, only to encounter an unexpected obstacle in the form of a military tank patrolling the deserted highway. The soldiers' warning about a roadblock ahead sends her to seek refuge at a rural inn, where she finds herself sharing quarters with a group of Carmelite friars who are more interested in indulging their vices than tending to their spiritual duties.

As night falls, the nurse retires to her room, where she is treated to the haunting sounds of flamenco music drifting from the adjacent chamber. Her peace is short-lived, however, as the friars' nocturnal revelry spills over into her domain, prompting them to offer up a peculiar form of spiritual assistance for her ailing father. The ensuing prayer session serves only to blur the lines between piety and debauchery, as the group's members begin to gamble with sacred relics, smoke, and drink with reckless abandon.

Meanwhile, a new arrival at the inn - a young man and his aunt - brings with them an air of tension and foreboding. As they settle into their room, it becomes clear that their relationship is complicated by an undercurrent of incestuous desire, which the aunt's surprising admission - that she remains a virgin despite her advanced years - only serves to complicate further. The young man's rejection by his aunt sends him seeking solace in the company of another couple - a hatter and his female assistant - who are more than happy to oblige.

As the group gathers in the hatter's room, the atmosphere becomes increasingly charged with an air of moral decay. The hatter's assistant, donning a dominatrix outfit replete with whip, proceeds to flagellate her master with a fervor that leaves the other guests shocked and aghast. Amidst this tableau of debauchery, the young man returns to his aunt, who has finally decided to surrender to their forbidden desires. As the night wears on, it becomes clear that the boundaries between sin and salvation have grown perilously thin, leaving all concerned in a state of moral disarray.

The next morning, a nurse departs for Argenton, sharing the ride with another resident, a bespectacled professor (character) at the police academy, who's fueling up on breakfast in the local watering hole. As they hit the road, the educator embarks on an impromptu lecture to a rambunctious class of law enforcement officials-in-training, regaling them with a treatise on the malleability of laws, customs, and social norms. The audience of would-be policemen behaves like rowdy schoolchildren, interrupting their instructor's every utterance until only two stalwart students remain. The professor perseveres, employing a dinner party at his friends' modern, middle-class abode as a thought-provoking case study. As the guests politely discourse on matters related to defecation, they simultaneously avail themselves of the luxurious facilities beneath their feet – complete with flushing toilets and private cubicles for dining purposes.

Meanwhile, two officers from the professor's class hit the streets, where they intercept a speeding motorist (Mr. Legendre), whose urgency stems from an impending doctor's appointment. The medical professional delivers the unwelcome news: Mr. Legendre is afflicted with cancer, and as a token of solidarity, offers him a cigarette – which prompts an explosive reaction. Returning home, Mr. Legendre confides in his wife that everything is perfectly fine, despite her husband's evident distress. Their tranquility is short-lived, however, as they receive a phone call reporting the disappearance of their daughter from school. Upon arrival at the educational institution, teachers insist that the young girl has vanished into thin air – despite her being physically present and fully accounted for. The authorities are subsequently notified, and the girl remains on site, yet every adult in her presence stubbornly denies her existence. This surreal scenario culminates with a policeman tasked with locating the missing child being handed her photograph and, in an absurd twist, asking if he can escort her.

In a separate strand of narrative, one of the two officers has his footwear polished at the top of the iconic Tour Montparnasse, where he strikes up a conversation with a enigmatic figure – a sniper who has been randomly targeting pedestrians on the streets below. The assassin is apprehended, tried, and sentenced to death, but instead of submitting to his fate, he becomes an unlikely celebrity, basking in the adoration of the public as he makes his way out of the courtroom.

As Mr. Legendre is summoned to the Prefect of Police, he is unexpectedly reunited with his missing daughter, her safe return preceded by a cryptic letter detailing the circumstances of her discovery. However, before the Prefect can delve into the details, he is abruptly interrupted and departs to indulge in a solitary evening at the local watering hole. There, he encounters an enigmatic woman whose uncanny resemblance to his deceased sister triggers a poignant flashback, recalling the carefree moments he shared with his sister as she played piano in her youth.

The Prefect's reverie is short-lived, as he receives an unsettling telephone call from beyond the grave - his dead sister's unmistakable voice beckons him to meet at the mausoleum. As night falls, the Prefect makes his way to the cemetery, where he enters the family crypt and finds himself face-to-face with a chilling reminder of his sister's presence: her hair cascades out of her coffin, accompanied by an old-fashioned telephone perched beside it. His eerie discovery is short-lived, as he is suddenly apprehended by authorities who refuse to recognize his authority as the Prefect of Police.

The following morning, Mr. Legendre finds himself in his own office, only to discover that a stranger has usurped his position. The two men exchange cordial pleasantries, discussing crowd control with an air of familiarity, as if their acquaintance is long-standing. The scene shifts to the city's zoo, where animals roam freely beneath the watchful eye of unseen chaos. Two police chiefs arrive on the scene, directing the efforts of their officers to quell the unseen riot that has erupted.

Off-screen, a lone voice cries out the phrase "Long live chains!" - an eerie echo of the film's opening moments. The tolling of church bells and distant gunfire also return, serving as a haunting reminder of the world's descent into chaos. As the credits roll, the camera lingers on the stoic visage of an ostrich, its gaze a poignant commentary on the fragility of life in this topsy-turvy world.