Once again, the Cannes Film Festival is upon us, this time without COVID-19 shutting down the world like it once did, safely back in the month of May where it usually belongs (2020 was canceled altogether, and 2021 ended up being pushed to June).
Cannes 2022 is definitely a solid year, with a diverse list of films and filmmakers (though as usual, black and women filmmakers aren’t as well represented as they should be by the organizers). Since we’ve already seen Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick” and Alex Garland’s “Men,” (click the titles on the links for the reviews), we’ll refrain from placing them on this main list, but they are both very good at what they are (Kosinski’s being super popcorn, Garland’s being surreal horror).
This year’s edition sees the long-awaited return of filmmakers David Cronenberg, Kelly Reichardt, Oliver Assayas, George Miller, Park Chan-Wook, James Gray, and Claire Denis, who hasn’t had a film in competition at Cannes since 1988 (!), so that’s a nice righting of a longstanding wrong.
Lots of previous Palme d’Or winners are back too, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ruben Ostlund, and the Dardennes. Usual suspects that the French love are filmmakers like Baz Luhrmann (who debuted “Gatsby” there years ago), Mia Hansen-Løve, Arnaud Desplechin, Michel Hazanavicius, Cristian Mungiu, and Alice Winocour.
Newcomers to watch include Riley Keough making her directorial debut with Gina Gammell, Lola Quivoron, Owen Kline, and Charlotte Wells. Anyhow, let’s get to it, here’s a small sampling of the titles you should know at Cannes, some 70+ films strong in total.
“Three Thousand Years Of Longing”
77 years old and still going strong, George Miller takes a break from making insane Mad Max movies to direct a big, romantic, fantasy epic about a woman and the genie (Djinn) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton star in what seems to be mostly a two-hander. ‘Fury Road‘ collaborators like composer Junkie XL and cinematographer John Seale (who unretired to work on the film) are back.
“Holy Spider”
“Holy Spider” will play in the official competition section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Written and directed by Ali Abbasi (known for the trolls fairytale film “Border” which won the Un Certain Regard section a few years back) the story centers around a female journalist trying to track down a man who is on a quest to “cleanse” the holy Iranian city of Mashhad of immoral and corrupt prostitutes.
“Crimes of the Future”
Director David Cronenberg is known for horror, and “Crimes of the Future” is said to be a return to his blood-and-gore roots. Described as “a deep dive into the not-so-distant future in which humankind is learning to adapt to its synthetic surroundings. This evolution moves humans beyond their natural state and into a metamorphosis, which alters their biological makeup.” The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart, and Léa Seydoux.
“Decision to Leave”
Park Chan-Wook, one of South Korea’s leading filmmakers, is known for making sure the audience understands the severity of violent acts. Having already garnered quite a bit of buzz, “Decision to Leave” is a mystery drama telling the story of a detective (Park Hae-il) investigating a man’s death in the mountains. He falls in love with the victim’s widow (Tang Wei)…who is also the prime suspect.
“Irma Vep”
Director Olivier Assayas premiered his film “Irma Vep” at Cannes in 1996, now he has adapted his film into a limited series set to air on HBO this summer. The show stars Alicia Vikander as Mira, an American movie star who goes to France to star as Irma Vep in a remake of the silent film “Les Vampires.” Adria Arjona, Carrie Brownstein and Tom Sturridge co-star among others. Following Cannes, “Irma Vep” will debut in early June on HBO.
“Showing Up”
Teaming up with Jonathan Raymond, who co-wrote the critically acclaimed “First Cow,” Kelly Reichardt is set to premiere her sixth Oregon-made film at this year’s festival. “Showing Up” stars Reichardt’s regular collaborator Michelle Williams as an artist on “the verge of a career-changing exhibition.” Alongside Williams, the film stars Hong Chau, Maryann Plunkett, John Margaro, and André 3000.
“The Stars at Noon”
Making her first appearance in the main competition at Cannes since the 1980s, French filmmaker Claire Denis is back with “Stars at Noon.” The film adaption of the novel of the same name follows an American businessman and an American journalist who fall in love and soon after have to escape Nicaragua during the revolution. Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn star alongside Danny Ramirez and Benny Safdie.
“Armageddon Time”
Set in Queens in the 1980s, “Armageddon Time” is a coming-of-age story about the generational pursuit of the American Dream. Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong play the parents of a young boy (Banks Repeta) who attends the elite Kew-Forest School, leaving behind a dear friend (Jaylin Webb) in the process. Also appearing in the film’s star-studded cast are Sir Anthony Hopkins and Domenick Lombardozzi. This is writer-director James Gray’s fifth film to screen at Cannes.
“Elvis”
Playing out of competition at this year’s festival is Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” This biopic is a look at the life of legendary rock and roll icon Elvis Presley, told through the eyes of his manager Colonel Tom Parker (played by Tom Hanks). Priscilla Presley boasted about the film on social media, stating that it was done “brilliantly and creatively” in a way “that only Baz could have delivered.” The cast includes Austin Butler (“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”), Olivia DeJonge (“The Visit”), and Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things”).
“Broker”
Japanese Director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s is always exploring the idea of families or make-shift one (see “Shoplifters” and “The Truth”). Following the same themes of family dynamics, “Broker,” his Korean-language debut, is a film about ”brokers of goodwill,” who connect unwanted babies with new parents on the black market, but their trip takes an unexpected turn when the birth mother shows up. Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona and Lee Ji-eun star.