Cannes Diary: Mega'no'polis

by Elisa Giudici

Megalopolis © 2024 Caesar Film LLC.

Francis Ford Coppola returns with a film that is already legendary even before its release, featuring a story that spans decades and a production so infamous and troubled that it warrants a film of its own. That nonexistent feature could have outshone Megalopolis, which, despite its high expectations, will be remembered in this year's Cannes Film Festival history as a major disappointment...

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Review: Yance Ford's "Power" Succinctly Details A Violent History of U.S. Policing

by Nick Taylor

There will always be room for art chronicling the systemic and individual injustices wrought on America by its own police force. Hell, you could probably apply that sentiment to police in any country, to an armed institution given virtually unchecked power on any scale. Power, the latest documentary from filmmaker Yance Ford, follows the history and development of US policing with a dry, succinct eye...

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Cannes Diary: The past and future of cinema from "Napoleon" to VR

Once again, I have the privilege of sharing my experiences at the Cannes Film Festival here on The Film Experience with a daily diary of impressions and reviews from the Croisette.

by Elisa Giudici

Today we delve into both the rich history and the uncertain future of cinema. Some foresee a fate entwined with AI and irrelevance, while others celebrate the enduring vitality of an art form that blazed its trail over a century ago. This year’s Cannes opening reflects on the industry's past glories and its current challenges, not shying away from the unease about what lies ahead, evoking the dizzying excitement of days gone by...

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Review: Nature (and the Audience) is Out of Balance in “Evil Does Not Exist”

By Ben Miller

Following the release of Darren Aronofsky’s divisive 2017 film mother!, most of the viewers who saw it didn’t know what was going on. It was only until it was explained that it made any sort of sense, and then it almost made too much sense. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lives on that same plane, with significantly more subtlety.

Not that this is the time or place to spoil the film by breaking it down scene by scene, but those places exist and can be found relatively easily. That doesn’t exactly bode well for the film. It’s one thing for a filmmaker to make you think, it’s another to send you on a search for answers you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. On the flipside, the answers make so much sense, it enhances the film long after the credits have rolled...

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Review: "Nowhere Special" finds hope in desolation

by Cláudio Alves

Windows can be like prosceniums, framing lives in tableaus practically begging to be spied upon. As one roams through the streets, one can peer into countless little dramas, comedies and farces. It's all there, the vitality of existence through a thin pane of glass. Uberto Pasolini's Nowhere Special starts with windows, a parade of frames and reflections captured by Romanian cinematographer Marius Panduru – you might be familiar with his work in Radu Jude's films. It's a beautiful prelude, bursting with quiet curiosity, as if the camera is considering which story it'll follow. However, this particular tale isn't to be found within, but without. It's the experience of the man who keeps those proscenium portals crystal clear.

He's John, a single father earning a living as a window cleaner. He's also dying…

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