by Helen Barlow
Of course, a competition placement is the most prestigious, and Australia has its first entry in a decade, with Justin Kurzel’s Nitram. This year the competition comprises 24 films, four of which are directed by women.
Focusing on the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, Nitram stars the always edgy American actor Caleb Landry Jones as the unnamed perpetrator with Judy Davis and Anthony LaPaglia co-starring as his parents. Essie Davis, Kurzel’s wife, plays a wealthy woman supporting the young man, so it will be interesting to see if the happy couple are able to make it to the festival.
Of course, these are early days in the announcement schedule, so we hope to see other Aussie films make the cut in the Directors Fortnight and Critics Week programmes. There’s also a Hollywood blockbuster film to be announced as well as the closing film.
Overall, the competition comprises the works of big-name auteurs, most prominently Wes Anderson’s star-studded The French Dispatch, the majority of which was shot in the French town of Angouleme; Leos Carax’s opening film Annette starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard; Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta starring Virginia Efira as a 17th century lesbian nun; Sean Penn’s Flag Day with Vikings actress Katheryn Winnick, Dylan Penn, Miles Teller and Josh Brolin; Ildiko Enyedi’s The Story of My Wife (she was awarded the 2017 Berlin Golden Bear for On Body and Soul); Nadav Lapid’s Ahed’s Knee (Lapid likewise won Berlin’s Golden Bear, for Synonyms in 2019); Raw director Julia Ducournau’s Titane; Nanni Moretti’s Three Floors; Francois Ozon’s Everything Went Fine starring Sophie Marceau and Charlotte Rampling; Sean Baker’s Red Rocket; Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero; and past Cannes Palme d’Or winner Jacques Audiard’s Paris, 13th District. (He won for Dheepan in 2015.)
Todd Haynes’ documentary The Velvet Underground will screen out of competition as will Tom McCarthy’s Stillwater starring Matt Damon as a man who ventures to France to help his estranged daughter (Abigail Breslin) who he believes has been falsely charged with murder.
Fremaux announced a new section, Cannes Premieres, as the festival had so many submissions – having skipped a year because of the pandemic – and didn’t want to overlook some of the loyal regulars. The section will include the work of Andrea Arnold, Arnaud Desplechin, Hong Sang-soo and the directing debut of Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jane by Charlotte focusing on her mum Jane Birkin. Oliver Stone’s JFK Revisited: Through The Looking Glass, where Fremaux promises the director will include new elements in his investigation, is also in the section.
Two Aussie actresses feature in Cannes films which both interestingly are by French women directors working for the first time in English. Mia Wasikowska stars alongside Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps in Mia Hansen-Love’s competition entry Bergman Island, which follows an American filmmaking couple who make a pilgrimage to the place that inspired Bergman and where the lines between reality and fiction start to blur. Odessa Young stars alongside Josh O’Connor, Olivia Colman and Colin Firth in the Cannes Premieres entry Mothering Sunday by Eva Husson. Based on Graham Swift’s novel the film takes place over the course of one day. Maid Jane Fairchild (Young) has the day off, as her employers, Mr. and Mrs. Niven (Firth and Colman) are attending an event to celebrate the engagement of their neighbours’ son, Paul (O’Connor). Jane is an orphan, so has no mother to spend the day with — but she does have Paul, with whom she’s been having a years-long secret affair. The story unfolds as they spend their final day together as lovers.
Jodie Foster will receive an honorary Palme d’Or, attending as a special guest of the opening ceremony on July 6 to pick up her award.
