Cannes Diary 08: Queer Cinema Highs & Lows

by Elisa Guidici

Straight couples and monogamous relationships seem to be an endangered species at this year's Cannes Film Festival, especially in the sidebar sections. We've seen a wealth of films centered on queer love stories, set in a more open and aware contemporary world. Yet, this world often still struggles with a perspective that doesn't immediately stiffen when behavior is framed as "deviant." Unfortunately, mere representation doesn't equate to consistent quality. To summarize the spectrum seen here at Cannes, let's dive into the most exciting film and the most disappointing currently tackling these themes...

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It's a good time to be a Josh O'Connor fan

by Cláudio Alves

While Luca Guadagnino's sexy tennis movie is queering up the box office, Alice Rohrwacher's La Chimera is finally out On Digital. In other words, if you're soft for Ratatouille's #1 fan Josh O'Connor, it must feel like everything's coming up roses. And isn't that how it should be? Between the two projects, the up-and-coming British actor shows off his range and then some. In Challengers, he's all dirtbag sleaze, playful in that way naughty kids can be when they know they've gotten away with something. Yet, between provocations, there's vulnerability peeking through, hunger of the stomach and the heart. Contrast with La Chimera, performed primarily in Italian and suffused with quiet heartbreak from start to finish. From burning ardor to morose romanticism, Josh O'Connor excels…

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Review: "Challengers" throbs with desire

by Cláudio Alves

American mainstream cinema has rarely felt as sexless as it does today. Even in the period between the 1934 implementation of the Hays Code and its demise, screens felt roused with desire. In some ways, the prohibition of overt sexuality supercharged movies with erotic potential, like a pot of boiling water that heats up faster once you put a lid on it. But nowadays, such qualities feel like artifacts of a bygone era. That's not to say movies suddenly lack objects of desire. Instead, as RS Benedict put it in his essay on superhero films, "everyone is beautiful and no one is horny."  But here comes Luca Guadagnino to the rescue, that lustful Italian whose films beckon a return to hedonistic cinema even when produced within Hollywood. Challengers is a prime example of that…

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Linky Chatterley

• Cartoon Brew the long awaited animated feature adaptation Nimona is back on. Now at Netflix since Disney shuttered it mid production. It was first announced way back in 2017.
• Out Pedro Almodóvar's gay western short Strange Way of Life will premiere at Cannes in May
• AV Club RIP documentarian Julia Reichert (American Factory)

NIMONA

More after the jump including Paul Mescal's taste buds, Amazon Prime numbers, Lady Chatterley's Lover sex scenes, and a tribute to a movie poster giant...

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Four Handfuls of Link

• Deadline Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) has passed away unexpectedly at 67. He was shooting a film called Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic. RIP
• Vulture Alison Willmore asks where the abortion thriller goes to next after recent films like Happening, Lingui the Sacred Bonds, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always
• Deadline Ellen DeGeneres bids her talk show farewell after 19 seasons on air

More after the jump including Gone Girl's legacy, frequently naked Clae Bang, Tom Cruise's all time biggest hits, Kevin Doyle from Downton Abbey A New Era, and a fascinating history of where streaming fits in the history of Hollywood...

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