The Cannes Film Festival is wrapping up this week, and it has been a ride. |
The edition opened with a lot of commotion thanks to the programming of Maïwenn's "Jeanne du Barry," starring the director and Johnny Depp in his first major film role in several years. Then there was the uproar this week over "The Idol," a forthcoming TV series featuring another Depp (Lily-Rose) along with the Weeknd. (Yes, a TV series can apparently be in competition at the festival. Who knew?) The furor over the envelope-pushing sex scenes and the co-creator Sam Levinson's controversy-courting approach might best be captured with my colleague Kyle Buchanan's observation that "the show seems reverse-engineered to generate think-pieces and indignant tweet-storms." If you're wondering if it's all much ado about nothing, he offers a recap of the episodes that played on the Croisette, and adds, "You be the judge." |
Despite the tumult, our critic Manohla Dargis argues that this is the strongest Cannes selection in years. She singled out Todd Haynes's "May December," about a high school teacher (Julianne Moore) who's had a sexual relationship with a student, and who must deal with an actress (Natalie Portman) playing her onscreen. It would make a good double bill, Dargis says, with "Last Summer," Catherine Breillat's tale of a seemingly happily married lawyer unmoored by the arrival of her 17-year-old stepson. In our critic's view, "This movie, which with shifting camera angles, differing points of view and gradually escalating emotional violence, creates an extraordinarily complex inquiry into desire and power." |
Meanwhile, stateside, the focus couldn't be more different. We just wrapped our annual preview of the summer blockbuster season. The highlights include profiles of two performers stepping into the spotlight at very different points in their careers: Halle Bailey, the 23-year-old probably best known until now as one half of the R&B due Chloe x Halle, is connecting with her inner Ariel in the live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid." And Cillian Murphy, who's long been a supporting player in Christopher Nolan's ambitious drama, is at 47 shouldering the title role in the director's biopic "Oppenheimer." (If those movies don't excite you, we have more than 100 others that might pique your interest in our roundup of the most-anticipated releases this season.) |
Whatever you decide to watch, enjoy the movies! |
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