Last year, the thunder might’ve been stolen a bit by "Mad Max: Fury Road" which screened around the same time, but the official opening movie of the Cannes Film Festival was Emmanuelle Bercot‘s "Standing Tall." The picture picked up some good notices, and eventually earned nine César nominations, winning two in the recent awards ceremony for Most Promising Actor and Best Supporting Actor. And now the picture is coming stateside.
Starring Rod Paradot, Catherine Deneuve, Benoît Magimel and Sara Forestier, the film tells the story of a juvenile delinquent, Malony, and his upbringing from childhood to adulthood, as a children’s judge and social worker try to save him. Here’s the official synopsis:
Abandoned by his mother (Sara Forestier) at the age of 6, Malony (Rod Paradot) is constantly in and out of juvenile court. An adoptive family grows around this young delinquent: Florence (Catherine Deneuve), a children’s magistrate nearing retirement, and Yann (Benoît Magimel), a caseworker and himself the survivor of a very difficult childhood. Together they follow the boy’s journey and try unfailingly to save him. Then Malony is sent to a stricter educational center, where he meets Tess (Diane Rouxel), a very special young girl who will show him that there are reasons for hope.
Our review praised the film’s "very fine performances," even if it didn’t work as a whole for us. "Standing Tall" opens later this year via Cohen Media Group. Watch below.