The Cannes Film Festival officially kicks off tonight! Yesterday we pointed out a few films in the Official Competition and Un Certain Regard. Today we conclude our previews by picking out some highlights from the rest of the official selection and the main two sidebars, Directors Fortnight and Critics Week. Enjoy the rosé (and the films)!
The Florida Project
Perhaps the most anticipated American film at the festival, Sean Baker's follow-up to Tangerine was not shot on an iPhone, so we can all stop talking about that (it was shot on 35mm). The film stars Willem Dafoe and a bunch of kids over one summer vacation.
Directors' Fortnight
Blade of the Immortal
This story of a samurai cursed with immortal life is Miike's 100th film. (Really, only 100?) It stars Takuya Kimura, Hana Sugisaki, and Sōta Fukushi and has already been scooped up for US distro by Magnet.
Out of Competition
A Prayer Before Dawn
There's a lot of good early buzz for Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire's true story of a British man sentenced to prison in Thailand who went on to become a Muay Thai champion fighter. Joe Cole stars and A24 is putting it out in the US.
Midnight
Oh Lucy!
Atsuko Hirayanagi's infectious-sounding debut feature follows a middle-aged Japanese woman who takes on an American persona named Lucy when she dons a blonde wig. This leads to her following her English instructor to California. Said instructor is played by Josh Hartnett.
Critics' Week
The Villainess
Confessions of a Murder director Jung Byung-gil's latest is this awesome-looking story of a female assassin caught up in a conspiracy.
Midnight
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
This third feature from Indonesian director Mouly Soura (Fiksi, What They Don’t Talk about When They Talk about Love) tells the harrowing tale of a woman who is raped and her cattle stolen but manages to kill some of her attackers. If that's not bad enough, she is soon haunted by the ghosts of the men she killed.
Directors' Fortnight
Tehran Taboo
This stylized animated film is set in seedy underbelly of Tehran's contraband counter culture. It is the feature debut from Ali Soozandeh.
Critics' Week
How to Talk to Girls at Parties
Elle Fanning stars alongside Alex Sharp, Nicole Kidman, and Ruth Wilson in John Cameron Mitchell's follow-up to Rabbit Hole. The film is based on a Neil Gaiman short story about a party-going alien. A24 is distributing.
Out of Competition
Bushwick
Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion's follow-up to Cooties premiered at Sundance and now moves on to play Directors' Fortnight. It stars Dave Bautista, Brittany Snow, Angelic Zambrana, Jeremie Harris, Myra Lucretia Taylor, and Arturo Castro in a story about Texas trying to secede from the union. Here is Jason's Sundance review.
Directors' Fortnight
The Merciless
This South Korean prison thriller tells the story of an old criminal who takes a newcomer under his wing with nefarious intentions. It's directed by Byun Sung-hyun.
Midnight
Patti Cake$
The other American movie in Directors' Fortnight was the big Fox Searchlight sale of Sundance. Music video director Geremy Jasper's feature debut tells the story of an overweight white girl in New Jersey who with the help of her South Asian friend, is desperate to make it in the rap game.
Directors' Fortnight
Brigsby Bear
The fifth of the five Sundance-premiering features at the fest, SNL/Good Neighbor's Dave McCary's offbeat comedy starring Kyle Mooney is the closing night film for the Critics'
Week sidebar. Claire Danes, Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, and Michaela Watkins co-star in this film that will be released stateside by Sony Pictures Classics.
Critics' Week