by Nathaniel R
This year's poster features Agnes Varda climbing on an assistant for a shot.The lineup for the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival has been unveiled. 19 films will compete for the Palme d'Or and 16 films will compete in the secondary lineup Un Certain Regard (we'll get to those in a bit) though those numbers might expand should they add a couple more entries to either program. They usually do that after the official unveiling. Mexico's Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman) and Lebanon's Nadine Labaki (Capernaum) will preside over the Competition and Un Certain Regard juries, respectively.
COMPETITION
These films are the ones gunning for the Palme d'Or. There are four female directors in the competition lineup and two black directors both of which are way more than usual at Cannes...
Pain and Glory, Pedro Almodovar (Spain)
A film director reflects on his life and choices. Lots of returning Almodóvar alum including Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, Cecilia Roth, Raúl Arévalo, and Julieta Serrano as well as newbies like the gorgeous Leonardo Sbaraglia (from Wild Tales and Burnt Money). Almodóvar has won for Screenplay (Volver) and Direction (All About My Mother) at Cannes but he's never taken the Palme d'Or.
The Traitor, Marco Bellocchio (Italy)
A biopic of the 1980s mafia informant Tommaso Buscetta. Pierfrancesco Favino stars. Bellochio has had several films in competition over the years but he has yet so win a major prize. Closes he came was "Special Mention" for My Mother's Smile (2002)
Wild Goose Lake, Yinan Diao (China)
A crime drama from the director of Black Coal, Thin Ice. This is his first time in competition though he's been in Un Certain Regard before.
Parasite, Bong Joon-ho (South Korea)
The popular Korean director (Okja, Snowpiercer) is back with the story of an unemployed family who become caught up in an unexpected incident.
Young Ahmed, The Dardenne Brothers (Belgium)
Luc and Jean-Pierre nearly always win something at Cannes. They're back with a story about a teenager embracing an extremist interpretation of the Quran and plotting to kill his teacher. It's the shortest film in competition at just 84 minutes.
Oh Mercy!, Arnaud Desplechin (France)
His last Cannes title Ishmael's Ghosts didn't go over so well. When will he give us something as brilliant as Kings and Queen or A Christmas Tale again? The new film is about a police investigation into the murder of an old woman.
Atlantique, Mati Diop (France/Senegal)
This is a debut feature from the French/Sengalese actress/director, so it'll be in competition for the Camera d'Or as well. She's the first black female filmmaker ever selected for the competition.
Matthias and Maxime, Xavier Dolan (Canada)
Can you believe Dolan has made 8 features already? The French Canadian director just turned 30 years old. His last couple of films were... (let us forget all about them!) so we're hoping he bounces back with something great like Mommy or Tom at the Farm again. Dolan calls this one a "film on friendship, made with and amongst friends"
Little Joe Jessica Hausner (Austria / Germany / UK)
The Austrian filmmaker's latest is English language and a sci-fi picture about a genetically engineered plant causing uncanny changes in other living creatures. Lots of familiar British actors in this one including Ben Whishaw, Lindsay Duncan, Emily Beecham, and Kerry Fox.
Sorry We Missed You, Ken Loach (UK)
About a working class family struggling in modern-day England. The 82 year old filmmaker has won the Palme d'Or twice already with The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016).
Les Miserables, Ladj Ly (France)
This is a debut feature from a Black French director so it's also eligible for the Camera d'Or. It's not a costume drama like most films with this title, heheh. We assume it's an expansion of this short film of the same name, about a young man in an anti-crime brigade.
A Hidden Life, Terrence Malick (US/Germany)
This was the film formerly known as Radegund and it's the longest film in the competition (3 hours). It stars August Diehl as Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientous objector who refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II. Other famous European stars in the film include Matthias Schoenaerts, Jürgen Prochnow, Bruno Ganz, Alexander Fehling, and Michael Nyqvist. We really hope this is a great opportunity for Diehl who always delivers but is best known stateside as one of the Nazis in Inglorious Basterds.
Nighthawk, Kleber Mendonca Filho, Juliano Dornelles (Brazil)
Another sci-fi picture (who'da thunk we'd get two in the Cannes lineup?), this one from the terrific director and the production designer (who is now the co-director) behind Aquarius (2016) which we all loved so much. Sonia Braga returns and Udo Kier is also in the cast.
The Whistlers, Corneliu Porumboiu (Romania)
Another film from the reknowned director of Police Adjective, 12:08 East of Bucharest and more. Vlad Ivanov, who was so memorably sinister in 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days stars. Supposedly this one is a comedy.
Frankie, Ira Sachs (US)
Sachs has been on such a roll (Love is Strange, Little Men) so we have high hopes for his latest, a drama about a single day on vacation in Portugal. The cast is amazing: Isabelle Huppert, Marisa Tomei, Brendan Gleeson, Jérémie Renier, Pascal Greggory, and Greg Kinnear.
The Dead Don't Die, Jim Jarmusch [OPENING NIGHT FILM]
A zombie comedy with returning Jarmusch thespians Tilda Swinton, Adam Driver, and Bill Murray as well as Selena Gomez, Danny Glover, and Chloe Sevigny.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma
Her last film, Girlhood, was sensational and she also wrote that beautiful animated film My Life as a Zucchini. Her new film is a historical drama about a woman painting another woman's wedding portrait at the end of the 18th century. Valeria Golina, Adèle Haenel, and Noémie Merlant star.
It Must Be Heaven, Elia Suleiman (France/Canada)
The Palestinian filmmaker travels to different cities, so he's also the star? It's a comedy apparently.
Sybil, Justine Triet (France)
A jaded psychotherapist returns to her first passion, writing. The film stars Virginie Efira, Adèle Exarchopoulus, and Gaspard Ulliel. This is Triet's first time in competition at Cannes but she's received three César nominations to date, for her two earlier features.
OUT OF COMPETITION
Rocketman, Dexter Fletcher (UK)
The Elton John biopic will definitely have a glitzy premiere on the Croisette.
The Best Years of Life, Claude Lelouch (France)
Monica Bellucci, Anouk Aimée, and Jean-Louis Trintignant star.
Maradona, Asif Kapadia (UK)
A documentary about the 1980s soccer player Diego Maradona.
La Belle Epoque, Nicolas Bedos (France)
Daniel Auteuil, Fanny Ardant, and Guillaume Canet star in this dramedy.
Too Old to Die Young, Nicolas Winding Refn (TV series)
They're showing two episodes of this 10 episode series. Since it's Refn you know it'll be moody, stylish, and completely nuts. This one has something to do with killers becoming samurais in Los Angeles (say what now?). Among the cast members are Jena Malone (who really went for it last time she worked with Refn in The Neon Demon), Billy Baldwin, John Hawkes, and Miles Teller.