It’s here. The 71st annual Cannes Film Festival is finally upon us. It may already be the season of superheroes, gigantic tentpoles, and more to come, but the Cannes is essentially the Olympics of cinema and always provides respite from the onslaught of blockbusters to come with its prestigious lineup that always features the best filmmakers on the planet. As you likely already know, actress Cate Blanchett is the President of the Jury (read our report from this morning’s press conference) and she’s not shying away from any controversies that may come Cannes’ way this year.
It’s a supposedly “less buzzy” festival this year due to the lack of American films and the paucity of big international filmmaking names that are missing in action. Names like Xavier Dolan, the Dardennes, Ken Loach, and others are missing. Folks like Terry Gilliam and Lars von Trier, the latter embattled in a lot of #MeToo related controversy, have been relegated to Out-of-Competition slots, but still, regardless, Cannes’ lineup is still impressive, albeit maybe a little less starry than usual.
But stars, red carpets, and selfies a film festival do no make. It’s about the film and their quality and it doesn’t really take much to look closely and find plenty of riches in the Cannes Film Festival slate. Cannes runs today, May 8, through May 19 so stick around to read all our reports over the two weeks.
“Long Day’s Journey into Night”
Bi Gan is one of the most exciting emerging Chinese filmmakers working today. Gan Bi first burst onto the scene with the lush and remarkable “Kaili Blues” in 2016 (see Guillermo del Toro’s tweets about how excellent it is). So we were very excited to see his next feature “Long Day’s Journey into Night” in the Cannes Un Certain Regard lineup. The film is being described as noir with dazzling colors that has been described as a cross between David Lynch and Hou Hsiao-hsien. “Long Day’s Journey” tells the story of a man who returns to his hometown to find the mysterious and dreamlike woman he spent an unforgettable summer with 12 years prior. The film boasts a great cast of Gan’s “Kaili Blues” star Chen Yongzhong, Tang Wei, Sylvia Chang, and Huang Jue. “Long Day’s Journey into Night” and Bi Gan are definitely names to watch this festival. – Erica Bahrenburg
“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”
It’s here! It’s finally here! It’s finally, maybe, possibly here (if the legal battles subside and Cannes actually screens the film, which it may not)! After decades of exhausting delays, production mishaps, natural disasters, countless starts-and-stops, stubborn insistence and a fine documentary portraying the endless struggles it endured, Terry Gilliam finally did it (though note: he was reportedly hospitalized this weekend which complicates matters). He made “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.” The crazy coot won! If audience members at Cannes can really, truly see Gilliam’s long, long, long-in-the-works passion project projected onto the big screen, then the end times must be near. The four horsemen of the apocalypse should be arriving at any moment. In any case, Gilliam fought against fate and good reason to bring us this story of a disillusioned ad executive (Adam Driver) who winds up in a loopy journey with a man who believes he is Don Quixote (Jonathan Pryce), and if you can believe it, it finally exists in its finished form. We’ll have to see it to believe it. Of course, it wouldn’t be ‘Don Quixote’ without some issues, as the premiere could be in serious jeopardy due to legal problems with a would-be producer. But if Gilliam can hold out hope against hope to make ‘Don Quixote’ a reality, we believe he’ll do everything in his power to give his very troubled labor of love the lavish premiere it’s due. To hell with sense and reason! – Will Ashton
“Shadows”
We, along with many others, didn’t love “The Great Wall.” A talented director with an eye for grandiose storytelling that lends consistent artistry to epic scale drama and action/adventure, Yimou Zhang’s last film with Matt Damon at the helm was, if we’re being kind, a disappointment. That being said, he still has “Hero,” “Raise the Red Lantern,” and, a personal favorite, “House of Flying Daggers” under his belt to ensure fans that “The Great Wall” might just have been a fluke. A late addition to the Out-of-Competition lineup, there’s little yet that’s been announced about the synopsis, but by the astonishingly beautiful poster alone, it’s safe to bet on “Shadows” to be yet another stunning martial arts film from a director who, in the past, has near perfected that style of filmmaking. A potential change of pace from your typical Cannes lineup, Zhang, even at his lowest moments, always offers up some form of spectacle that’s difficult to peel your eyes away from. – Ally Johnson