The Cannes Film Festival took a step forward this week, only to find itself in a series of quagmire.Opening film directed by a woman, Maven’s period drama Jeanne Dubarry, likely to be applauded by those who have criticized its selection committee over the years for its inequality. But not after the actor-director, whose co-star Johnny Depp emerged, returned to work in France after being sidelined by Hollywood. He may have won a lot from his messy public court battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, but neither is smelling roses.
At Cannes, Depp hit the red carpet amidst loud cheers and Michael Jackson singing “I Want You Back,” a questionable choice for the DJ. While the rest of the world questioned the optics, many French observers were more concerned about Depp’s performance in “dearest“, Louis XV.
Depp’s involvement, it turns out, is the least of the film’s problems, with his Louis a taciturn man who mostly grunts. While Maven’s boldest move was casting herself as the king’s mistress and retelling history through the lens of this “fallen woman,” Jeanne Dubarry It doesn’t take long to get into the familiar tedious royal procedural mode. For a film with subversive tendencies, it spends a good deal of its time indulging in the usual trappings: macaron-colored costumes, fastidious manners, the machinations of three narrow-minded sisters, and the often-unattractive Man’s court intrigue. Far from being audaciously unconventional, it repeated the festival’s longstanding tradition of opening with pantomime.
★★☆☆☆
Starting with patriarchy, the conversation turns to absent fathers.The contention chain starts with return (homecoming), about a single mother Khedidja (Aïssatou Diallo Sagna) and her two teenage daughters who leave Marseille for a working holiday in Corsica, which becomes a journey of self-discovery for all involved. Jessica (Suzy Bemba) is her mother’s star student and apple of the eye, while Farah (Esther Gohourou) is a more hotheaded and mischievous person, if not an outright bad apple.
The shadow of their islander father’s death becomes more apparent in the Corsican sun, prompting a meditation on the lies and half-truths we tell our loved ones. Catherine Corsini’s film (with Naïla Guiguet) is delightfully languid but somewhat aimless, boosted by finely tuned performances, especially fiery Gohourou.
But this female-led film is also tainted. Corsini, co-founder of feminist group 50/50, was forced to explain why she failed to obtain the necessary government approval for a sexually suggestive scene involving two minors and to respond to allegations that a stuntman and an acting coach were inappropriate behavioral reporting.
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The metaphorical cloud that hangs over Cannes is joined by the real stuff. Pedro Almodóvar came to the rescue, and his name was enough to keep the crowd in line for an hour in the rain, only to see 30 short minutes.Spaniard, who once ran for director Brokeback Mountaingiving us a glimpse of what might be happening strange way of lifeHandsome rider Silva (Pedro Pascal) rides into dusty Bitter Creek to rekindle a 25-year-old romance with former hired gunman turned police officer Jack (Ethan Hawke). long.
Typical Almodóvarian style is immediately apparent: the opening track is Fado With dirges sung in Portuguese and eye-catching flashes of color, Silva’s jackets are the new green of the Old West.Given the shortened runtime, there’s no time for horsemanship or foreplay, let alone sneaky glances and stop-and-go broken back. Almodovar is waving the whip and the whole thing rattles like an episode Bonanza There are more bottomless photos.
To complicate matters, Jack is convinced that Silva’s son is responsible for the murder of his sister-in-law, and doesn’t believe Silva’s return is a coincidence, setting up a melodramatic climax in which the look of love becomes murderous look. As the credits roll, the story just builds momentum well — perhaps enough to serve as a pilot for a future streaming series.
★★★★☆
The theme of the absent father doesn’t go away.Who is the monster described by Hirokazu Kore-eda? monster?The Japanese director behind the Palme d’Or pickpocket and last year’s Korean suit broker Back home, delivering a twisty head scrambler with his usual tender touch. Written by Yuji Sakamoto, single mother Saori (Sakura Ando) searches for her son Minato (Muneya Kurokawa) who exhibits worrying behavior. Was he being bullied at school? Is it a child or a teacher? Or is he a bully? Is he even responsible for the arson attack that opens the film?
When Saori arrives at the school, she is soothed by a hollow-sounding apology from Hirokazu Kore-eda daring to satirize sacred Japanese traditions in an increasingly absurd bowing scene. But then the script jumps back and the events are replayed differently. Our first impressions look shaky, as Hirokazu Kore-eda slyly challenges today’s culture of snap judgments and hasty but hollow apologies.
This use of changing and conflicting views inevitably recalls Rashomon Effect and Akira Kurosawa, whose daughter Kazuko is credited here as the costume designer (this could be a coincidence, but there seems to be no other coincidences in the movie). The use of this method seems tricky at first, but by the end the different perspectives come together to form a complex picture that brings the story to an unexpectedly satisfying conclusion. It may not come close to Hirokazu Kore-eda’s best work, but he can only blame himself for such a high bar, and his rising reputation is a monster of his own making.
★★★★☆
As for Cannes, as regular visitors know, it tends to get off to a rocky start and lay the groundwork for its treasures. With the likes of Scorsese, Haynes and Breillat still to be seen, the festival will likely be opening day. scandal success into ordinary success.
The festival lasts until May 27th, festival-cannes.com
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