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The last few days event at the Palais des Festivals was the press conference for the film with Martin’s score Game Killers of the Flower Moon, all first honors were awarded but not entered into the competition. The prospect was clear, and more than a press conference, it seemed pilgrimage of veneration. It is difficult to know whether the enthusiasm is due to the presence of the three Scorsese-De Niro-Di Caprio or whether the film will deliver what it promises. The solution, towards the end of the year (the official premiere is scheduled, so far, for October 20).
The film is based on a non-fiction text by David Gram about a real case the murder of native Americans in the twenties. At the press conference we have verified how important it was for the team, not only to have the cooperation of the descendants of the tribe that the film represents, but to insist on it. I personally read between the lines some defensive: Rumors about whether Scorsese was “right” to tell that story have spread across networks and there has been an interest in stopping them. Perhaps these rumors should not be given much attention, but it is necessary to confirm that we are there and that they are going to surround the debate on the film. On the other hand, Scorsese seems to return to his own subjects, like a joke, and something in what he said made him think about it goodness.
It was inevitable to draw parallels between today and the outrages of the past. That is verifiable violence and extermination they were essential to American history, and therefore a sore spot in the national identity. And no one can ignore the fact that the danger is not over yet, as Robert De Niro pointed out when he mentioned the danger that Donald Trump.
As if a three and a half hour film wasn’t enough, a journalist asked Scorsese to define his attitude towards the conflict in Ukraine. Maybe we should let artists make art and talk about art. Scorsese’s take on the complex conflict that breaks our hearts lacks urgency and doesn’t reflect the situation. After trying to clarify his position, he has given an answer that will not surprise anyone: it is important that the freedom to express yourself for themselves, to speak without censorship; and it is a freedom that is desired on both sides. This is the reason worth fighting for. I don’t know if anything else could be said.
For the rest, the Festival has stepped up and the sessions are getting bigger, so I’ll have to choose and focus on the things I’ve achieved the most. Today it was time to talk about one of the most anticipated entries in the official section, ie. May Decemberby Todd Haynes. Haynes, who took his first steps in filmmaking within New Queer Cinema and experimental cinema (try to find his interesting short from 1987 A superstara sort of Karen Carpenter fake biography with dolls), she has developed a remarkable career in commercial cinema, with a special focus on women’s cinema. Far from heaventhe Series Mildred Pierce and Carol There are three titles that represent the best of the director.
Was Natalie Portman who brought the script May December for the Director. It is the story of an actor (Portman) who is preparing to play in a film the character (inspired by real events and here by Julianne Moore) of a woman with whom, at the age of thirty-six, he had a consensual relationship. a boy from the age of twelve, she had children with him, she was imprisoned and when she left she lived in a stable married situation. The actress wants to understand her character and is willing to tie up loose ends and fix the meaning of what happened. But it is impossible to fix the meaning of things, when any reality is made up of connections of motivations, lies, fear, competition, egos and power.
There’s more to the film than this cheesy synopsis suggests, and critics agree A personby Ingmar Bergman and A beat in the heartby Louis Malle. Haynes comes from the theoretical branch of film studies and maintains a style that, even in his most commercial work, has something of the ambiguity of arthouse cinema. Although the plot may seem linear at first, it actually creates connections full of uncertainty. The film goes into difficult territory, though solutions do not bring morals. When a character asks the actress if she has clarified something, the question remains in the air. As for the audience, no, they don’t end up with a clear map of the tensions and currents of abuse or self-deception in that relationship, but they understand a little more about the difference between reality as it is portrayed by the press (or the cinema) and the way things happen in the world.
Inevitably, there is something duel of the actors. And Haynes influences his mirror world and the exquisite art direction that appeared in the mentioned titles to insist on the artificiality of what is told.
Following the recommendations, and spending less time on each title than I would like, creatureby Elena Martin Gimenoit seems to me essential as an original perspective (not in a unique sense, but because cinema tends to ignore it) towards female sexuality. Childhood sexuality, masturbation, relationships with adults They are swampy terrain that we should lose our fear of, and Martin Gimeno’s courage is to be admired.
If, like me, you miss the cinema of Pablo Berger, the premiere awaits him Robot dream, the animated film based on the graphic novel by American author Sara Varón. I found it to be the nicest traditional animated film since Sita sings the Blues. It is full of details about New York of the seventies, where animals were here. One of them buys a robot to alleviate his loneliness. What follows is a story of love, company and the passage of time, and no matter what age you are, it’s exciting and very enjoyable.
As usual with Berger, he is full of cinephile quotes: reminded me of the beginning sequence Apartment in which Jack Lemmon tries to see Grand Hotelbut there are references to The glow, Nightmare in Elm Streetand the essential The Wizard of Oz. The amount of detail found in such a simple aesthetic, with sound and a good band but no dialogue, enhanced the way a lot is shown with very little, and I ended up with a smile on my lips. I hope it will be released in theaters soon.
One of the glories of a great film festival is that it allows us to look at other cinematographers, other lives, other faces and other gestures. The Mongolian film is still in the inkwell If only I could hibernate, by Zoljargal Purevdash, about a talented teenager who tries to escape poverty by entering a science competition. This is the first time for a film from this country to attend the festival. And two Chinese films in the section special attention: Only the River flowsby Wei Shujun is an engaging, well-written, best-acted thriller about a 1990s rural serial killer, and The Ice Breakerby Anthony Chen, a melancholic story about the lack of interests of today’s Chinese youth.
For the rest, we have already passed the halfway point of the festival, and while the much-anticipated titles are still in the works, the international press is starting to talk about favorites for the Palme d’Or. I will also tell you that it may not mean anything. First of all, because, as we know, the dynamics of the festival jury, with so many different people, means that the result depends a lot on circumstances that have little to do with the intrinsic quality of the film. But I think it is almost a tautology that the most interesting films are the ones that will have the most detractors. I doubt that was the case Seat last year: for many it was the best of the festival, but for others it was absolutely unbearable. It is easy to polarize as a result of something that does not arouse winning passions.
That said, as I write this story, the stakes are high Anatomy of the fallthriller Justine Trinet that I will try to tell you about tomorrow, which is just sitting The Interest Zone as you prefer. Haynes movie May December and Monster, from Kore-eda, which I told you about a few days ago, are also very welcome and present in the pools. The fact that it’s a good year to get the predictions right and the winner may not yet be predicted doesn’t help. I will keep telling you.
Tomorrow awaits me, as well as what was said, expressionhorror film in the Un Certain Regard section, as well as Zero clubby Jessica Hausner. And what can fit between all this.
The horror of Auschwitz finds its place in Cannes which he intends to leave marked