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Cannes Film Festival · 2016

Cannes Film Festival 2016

Directors' Fortnight

The feature length films in the programme are below. The programme is completed by 12 shorts.

Programme

18 films · 7 reviews

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After Love (L'économie Du Couple)

Review preview for After Love

The script takes an adult approach to emotions, even as it shows how childish a situation can become.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
After they split, a couple continue to share a house because of financial constraints.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2016; Director: Joachim Lafosse; Writer: Fanny Burdino, Joachim Lafosse, Mazarine Pingeot, Thomas van Zuylen; Stars: Bérénice Bejo, Marthe Keller, Cédric Kahn, Catherine Salée, Tibo Vandenborre, Margaux Soentjens, Jade Soentjens, Francesco Italiano, Annick Johnson, Philippe Jeusette, Ariane Rousseau, Pascal Rogard)

Full review

The Aquatic Effect (L'Effet Aquatique, The Together Project)

A builder falls for a swimmer and starts swimming lessons in a bid to catch her eye.

(Country: France, Iceland; Year: 2016; Director: Sólveig Anspach; Writer: Sólveig Anspach, Jean-Luc Gaget; Stars: Samir Guesmi, Florence Loiret Caille, Philippe Rebbot, Estéban, Stéphane Soo Mongo, Olivia Côte, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Ágúst Bjarnason, Samer Bisharat, Frosti Runólfsson, Didda Jónsdóttir)

Divines

Review preview for Divines

If this gang of ideas doesn’t quite hang together as it should, Benyamina still makes her mark with some brilliant moments.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
Story of an Arabic drug dealer in a Parisian ghetto.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Houda Benyamina; Writer: Houda Benyamina, Romain Compingt, Malik Rumeau; Stars: Oulaya Amamra, Déborah Lukumuena, Kevin Mischel, Jisca Kalvanda, Yasin Houicha, Majdouline Idrissi, Bass Dhem)

Full review

Dog Eat Dog

Review preview for Dog Eat Dog

The threadbare plot relies on the performances and writing to underpin this narrative simplicity.

Paul Risker · 2.5 out of 5
Two former convicts are torn between going straight and returning to their old lives.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Paul Schrader; Writer: Edward Bunker, Paul Schrader, Matthew Wilder; Stars: Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe, Louisa Krause, Paul Schrader, Melissa Bolona, Magi Avila, John Patrick Jordan, Omar J. Dorsey, Reynaldo Gallegos, Chelsea Mee, Kayla Perkins, Johanna McGinley, Logan Fry, Jessica Sonneborn, Christopher Matthew Cook)

Full review

Closing film.

Endless Poetry (Poesía Sin Fin)

Review preview for Endless Poetry

Drawing on that particular quality of light that seems unique to Chile, Jodorowsky paints an alluring portrait of his homeland.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Biographical tale of the director's own youth.

(Country: Chile, Japan, France; Year: 2016; Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky; Writer: Alejandro Jodorowsky; Stars: Brontis Jodorowsky, Pamela Flores, Adan Jodorowsky, Jeremias Herskovits, Leandro Taub, Ali Ahmad Sa'Id Esber, Carolyn Carlson, Kaori Ito, Hugo Marín)

Full review

Fiore

Romance blooms in a juvenile detention centre.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2016; Director: Claudio Giovannesi; Writer: Claudio Giovannesi; Stars: Aniello Arena, Daphne Scoccia, Josciua Algeri, Laura Vasiliu, Valerio Mastandrea)

Like Crazy (La Pazza Gioia)

Two delusional mental health patients escape from their institution and go on a series of misadventures.

(Country: Italy, France; Year: 2016; Director: Paolo Virzì; Writer: Francesca Archibugi, Paolo Virzì; Stars: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Micaela Ramazzotti, Anna Galiena, Valentina Carnelutti, Stefano Scherini, Marco Messeri, Bob Messini, Tommaso Ragno, Elena Lietti, Roberto Rondelli, Carlotta Brentan, Francesca Della Ragione)

The Lives Of Thérèse (Les Vies De Thérèse)

Consideration of the life of feminist Therese Clerc.

(Year: 2016; Director: Sebastien Lifshitz)

Mean Dreams

Review preview for Mean Dreams

With little glances, with the pitch of her voice, Nélisse shows us that Casey is alert to what''s happening around her.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Thriller about two teens who are desperate to escape their abusive lives but find their problems exacerbated by a corrupt cop.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2016; Director: Nathan Morlando; Writer: Kevin Coughlin, Ryan Grassby; Stars: Sophie Nélisse, Josh Wiggins, Bill Paxton, Colm Feore, Vickie Papavs, Ryan Blakely, Matt Connors, Tara Nicodemo, Janine Davies)

Full review

Mercenary (Mercenaire)

Story of a migrant who joins a French rugby team.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Sacha Wolff; Writer: Sacha Wolff; Stars: Toki Pilioko, Iliana Zabeth, Laurent Pakihivatau, Mikaele Tuugahala, Petalo Sealeu)

My Life As A Courgette (Ma Vie De Courgette)

Review preview for My Life As A Courgette

The script has a heartfelt carefulness but it is never preachy, with 'naughty' conversations about the home's teacher's willy exploding likely to have pre-adolescents (and adults who well remember these sorts of conversations) hooting with laughter.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Stop-motion story of a boy, who is sent to a group home for orphans after the death of his mum.

(Country: Switzerland, France; Year: 2016; Director: Claude Barras; Writer: Gilles Paris, Morgan Navarro, Céline Sciamma, Germano Zullo; Stars: Voices of: Michel Vuillermoz, Natacha Koutchoumov, Paulin Jaccoud, Brigitte Rosset, Adrien Barazzone, Véronique Montel, Monica Budde, Anne-Laure Brasey, Estelle Hennard, Jean-Claude Issenmann, Sixtine Murat, Raul Ribera, Elliot Sanchez, Gaspard Schlatter, Lou Wick)

Full review See: Interview with Claude Barras about My Life As A Courgette

Neruda

Review preview for Neruda

A triumphant piece of filmmaking.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
Story of the Nobel prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda, who becomes a fugitive in his homeland.

(Country: France, Spain, Argentina, Chile; Year: 2016; Director: Pablo Larraín; Writer: Guillermo Calderón; Stars: Gael García Bernal, Antonia Zegers, Alfredo Castro, Luis Gnecco, Pablo Derqui, Mercedes Morán, Marcelo Alonso, Alejandro Goic, Jaime Vadell, Francisco Reyes, Diego Muñoz, Michael Silva)

Full review

Psycho Raman

Story of Raman Raghav, a Mumbai serial killer.

(Country: India; Year: 2016; Director: Anurag Kashyap; Writer: Vasan Bala; Stars: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vicky Kaushal, Anuschka Sawhney, Mukesh Chhabra, Sobhita Dhuliwala)

Risk

Documentary about Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

(Country: Germany, US; Year: 2016; Director: Laura Poitras; Stars: Julian Assange, Sarah Harrison, Jacob Appelbaum)

Sweet Dreams (Fai Bei Sogni)

A journalist struggles to cope with the death of his mum, who passed away when he was only nine years old.

(Country: Italy, France; Year: 2016; Director: Marco Bellocchio; Writer: Massimo Gramellini; Stars: Bérénice Bejo, Valerio Mastandrea, Fabrizio Gifuni, Guido Caprino, Barbara Ronchi, Linda Messerklinger, Ferdinando Vetere, Lorenzo Monti)

Opening film.

Tour De France

Story of an unlikely friendship between a builder and a rapper.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Rachid Djaidani; Writer: Rachid Djaidani; Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Louise Grinberg, Mabo Koyate, Nicolas Martheu, Sadek)

Two Lovers And A Bear

A lonely man and woman look for love in a small town near the North Pole.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2016; Director: Kim Nguyen; Stars: Tatiana Maslany, Dane DeHaan, Gordon Pinsent, John Ralston, Joel Gagne, Ash Catherwood, Joseph Nakogee, Yvonne E. Davidson, Chip Chuipka, Denis Lapalme, Johnny Issaluk, Jennifer Soucie, Brady Power, Phoenix Wilson, Justin Edward Seale)

Wolf And Sheep

Story of Afghan shepherds set against the backdrop of war.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2016; Director: Shahrbanoo Sadat)