With the 78th Festival de Cannes just over halfway through, Head of Cinemas Alice Black and Programmer David Kelly have taken some time out between screenings and cups of coffee to share some highlights of the festival so far.
Alice Black - Head of Cinema
PILLION - Who would have thought a film about BDSM could be warm and funny but Harry Leighton's directorial debut is exactly that, and then some. Harry Melling is superb as the shy and retiring Colin, whose life is transformed when he meets the dominant biker Ray, (the "impossibly handsome" Alexander Skarsgård). Ultimately, full frontal nudity and all, this is a sweet film about identity, acceptance, and love. A new Christmas classic on the cards?
URCHIN - Harris Dickinson's directorial debut proves that his talents aren't just in front of the camera. Turns out he's also a gifted storyteller with creativity to burn with this story of addiction, homelessness and the struggle of recovery. Frank Dillane, on screen in almost every shot, is terrific and the ending; heartbreaking.
MY FATHER'S SHADOW - Already being described as this year's Aftersun, Akinola Davies Jr.'s directorial debut (written with his brother Wade) unfolds as a memory of two young boys, spending a treasured and rare moment with their largely absent father in 1990s Nigeria. Largely taking place over one day, it has such a beautifully observed sense of place and emotions. Quietly powerful, there was not a dry eye in the house at the end of our screening.
SOUND OF FALLING - Mascha Schilinski channels historical trauma through the experiences of four generations of women in one German family, moving seamlessly back and forth in time until it seems to dissolve. Haunting and astonishingly beautiful to look at and listen to, it is truly original and an absolute marvel.
David Kelly - Film Programmer
First up, Ari Aster takes us back to the early days of the Covid pandemic in EDDINGTON. Joaquin Phoenix plays a sheriff who decides he has no choice but to take on Pedro Pascal’s left leaning mayor in an election in a small town in the US. The pair have a complicated history, which leads to some excruciating twists (one scene with Katy Perry’s Fireworks will be a hit online, I imagine) and truly brutal turns. It’s a microscopic look at the tensions that have jet fuelled the divisions in the US and, much like Beau Is Afraid, has divided critics and audiences here in Cannes. I found it to be his funniest film yet, without a dull moment, that even goes full 80s action in one scene. Just one of the many surprises that had me gripped from start to finish.
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s THE SECRET AGENT (O Agente Secreto) takes us back to Brazil in the 70s where Wagner Moura plays a father who returns to his hometown to reunite with his son. He intends to flee the country which is being ruled by a military dictatorship but must deal with corrupt officials and hitmen along the way. With a runtime of 160 minutes it takes a bit more patience than his previous release (the bold and brilliant) Bacurau, but it allows its characters to flourish and brings you in to the community at its core. It takes some surreal twists (Severed leg, I’ll say no more) as it heads towards a tense and emotional conclusion. It’s another historical political thriller, that is without a doubt on a par with I’m Still Here, and just gets better the more I think about it. Brazilian cinema is on a stellar run. Long may it continue.
Julia Ducournau’s ALPHA is an apocalyptic tale that deals with addiction and loss set in an 80s /90s that is in the grip of an epidemic. This one is still sitting with me, but the audience reactions have ranged from baffled and exhilarated. The performances are incredible and there are scenes that reminded me of Hellraiser: Hellbound and Cruising. The body horror is shocking and even beautiful at times. You’ll know what I mean when you see it. I was taken instantly by Raw and Titane and they both ranked amongst my favourites in their release years, but I’m eager to see this one again as its hard to compare to her previous work after just one watch.
NOUVELLE VAGUE is the second new feature from Richard Linklater that I have seen this year. The first was the thoroughly enjoyable Blue Moon that was shot in Dublin and features some truly wonderful performances from Ethan Hawke and Andrew Scott. This one takes us back to spend time with the giants of the French New Wave movement and in particular Jean Luc Godard as he prepares to make his debut feature Breathless. Once again, the performances are perfect. It’s shot in the style of Breathless, adding to its playfulness. A real love letter to the era with everyone from Jean-Paul Belmondo to Agnes Varda and Francois Truffaut to Eric Rohmer to name a few (seriously, EVERYONE from that place and time is portrayed this). I love a ‘making of’ feature/documentary so this was right up my street.
Some other highlights so far include Harris Dickinson’s Mike Leigh-esque URCHIN, Akinola Davies’ poetic and masterful MY FATHER’S SHADOW and a late night screening of Sean Byrne’s DANGEROUS ANIMALS which was just a lot of fun to watch with a festival crowd.
More to come including THE HISTORY OF SOUND with Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. I’m still processing Lynne Ramsay’s DIE, MY LOVE so I’ll say more about that in the roundup. Looking forward to letting you all know how it goes.
You can catch your own slice of la Croisette this weekend at Light House with two recent Cannes premiered films, Christopher McQuarrie's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING (now showing) and Wes Anderson's THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME hitting the big screen this Friday.
