Entertainment One
Sure, when you think Cannes Film Festival, you think celebrities gadding about on yachts and supermodels clad in a million dollars worth of precious jewels. But in reality, the festival is also one of the most exciting in Hollywood, bringing together daring indies with left-of-centre blockbusters – this is where Mad Max: Fury Road and The Great Gatsby have had their premieres – all alongside the best new releases from French cinema. Which films do you need to know about this year? Well, we’re glad you asked…
Cafe Society – Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Parker Posey
Woody Allen is back with another tale of neuroses, bed-hopping and the fatal flaws of great artists… Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! And this certainly ain’t broke, Woody is at his best when in full-blown, glamorous period costuming, and after focussing his gaze on turn of the century Paris (Midnight in Paris) this film centres on the golden age of Hollywood. The story of a wide-eyed young man trying to break into the film industry, and his various love affairs along the way, isn’t anything new. But with Woody’s deft, light touch, we’re sure it’s going to be a very chic, very cheeky movie.
The Last Face – Charlize Theron, Javier Bardem, Adele Exarchopoulos
At the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Charlize Theron and Sean Penn were the toast of the town: strolling down that mile-long red carpet like they owned it, celebrating their romance at premiere after premiere, party after party. This year, they’ll be back again, not as a couple, but as director and actress. Awkward. Charlize might have ghosted her way out of their romantic relationship, but she unfortunately she can’t avoid promoting this flick directed by her former flame about a love story set against the back drop of civil war in Africa.
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The Nice Guys – Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Margaret Qualley, Kim Basinger
Oh Ryan, where have you been? Aside from a badly-coiffed turn in The Big Short, we haven’t seen our internet boyfriend onscreen for a while, and we’ve missed him. Thankfully, this out-of-competition film – ie: premiering to get the big-name stars to attend – marks the return of Ryan ‘He of the Perfect Comedic Timing’ Gosling, matched up in an unlikely pairing with Our Russell Crowe. The two play a private detective and his rough ‘muscle’ trying to locate a missing girl (Margaret Qualley, Andie MacDowell’s daughter making her major film debut).
Juste La Fin Du Monde – Lea Seydoux, Marion Cotillard, Gaspard Ulliel, Vincent Cassel
Xavier Dolan is the it-boy of French cinema right now. The film director served on the Cannes Film Festival jury last year, appeared on several magazine covers in his native France and still managed to duck across the pond to direct a video clip for the new single from an artist you might have heard of, Adele. (Yes, he made that video clip for ‘Hello’, featuring the now famous flip phone). This is his latest feature film, with a starry cast of French A-listers – including his muse, former Bond Girl Lea Seydoux – about a terminally ill writer who returns to his family home to break the news of his sickness. Expect this one to garner critical acclaim and potentially even take out the festival’s highest honour, the Palm d’Or.
The Neon Demon – Elle Fanning, Abbey Lee, Bella Heathcote, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks
Director Nicolas Winding-Refn was the star of the 2011 festival when he premiered his strange, languorous thriller Drive starring Carey Mulligan and Ryan Gosling. This is his follow-up: a horror movie set in the world of modelling starring a whole host of eerie, ethereal beauties (including Aussies Abbey Lee and Bella Heathcote). Rumour has it that the shoot was particularly taxing, and the subject matter gory and twisted. You can bet the critics will be divided.
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La Danseuse – Lily-Rose Depp, Gaspard Ulliel, Melanie Thierry, Soko
With a pedigree like hers, was there ever any doubt that Lily-Rose Depp was destined for cinematic stardom? The daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis makes her Cannes Film Festival debut in this biopic of Isadora Duncan, filmed in her mother’s native tongue. Depp plays the main role, but keep an eye out for French chanteuse Soko (aka Ms. Kristen Stewart), who also appears in this film in a supporting role.
Personal Shopper – Kristen Stewart
Ghost Story. Parisian fashion world. Not exactly two things that make for a promising film synopsis, mais oui? Don’t count this film out just yet, though, especially when you consider the precedent. It sees star Kristen Stewart team up with French director Oliver Assayas for the second time. The first saw her shadow Juliette Binoche and Chloe Grace Moretz in Clouds of Sils Maria in an All About Eve-esque role that saw Stewart become the first non-French actress to win a Cesar (the French equivalent of an Oscar). We predict French press at the festival will fall in love with this film.
Loving – Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga
Awards season buzz is already mounting around this gut-wrenching true story about the Lovings, an interracial couple sent to prison because of their relationship in 1950s America. It’s the second film this year from Jeff Nichols, one of the most respected indie directors in the business, and critics are already hailing Aussie Joel Edgerton’s performance.
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Money Monster – Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Jack O’Connell, Caitriona Balfe
Another out of competition film, another mega-A-list cast. Directed by Jodie Foster, this tense, nail-biting thriller follows a charismatic TV host (George Clooney, who else?) held hostage on-air by a disenchanted man who lost everything in the GFC. Julia Roberts plays Clooney’s steadfast producer, while Caitriona Balfe – best known for her role as Claire in the Outlander TV series – transitions seamlessly into a leading lady role as the spokesperson for a Wall Street bank. This movie will leave you on the edge of your seat.
