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Cannes Film Festival · 2017

Cannes Film Festival 2017

Directors' Fortnight

Programme

30 films · 11 reviews

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Alive In France

Music documentary.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Abel Ferrara; Stars: Joe Delia, Abel Ferrara)

The Burden (Min Börda)

Review preview for The Burden

Niki Lindroth von Bahr's film is once again a masterclass of model-making.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
The Burden is an animated and animal musical, enacted in a modern marketplace next to a large freeway.

(Country: Sweden; Year: 2017; Director: Niki Lindroth von Bahr; Writer: Niki Lindroth von Bahr) , Official site

Full review

Short

La Bouche

A man learns his daughter has been brutally murdered by her husband. Time stands still as he oscillates between the need for solace and his urge for revenge.

(Year: 2017; Director: Camilo Restrepo)

Short

Bushwick

Review preview for Bushwick

Pulls no punches as it takes viewers on a terrifying ride through once-familiar territory turned utterly alien.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A young woman teams up with a military veteran to try and survive when insurgents bring war to the streets of New York City.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion; Writer: Nick Damici, Graham Reznick; Stars: Brittany Snow, Dave Bautista, Arturo Castro, Christian Navarro, Angelic Zambrana, Jeff Lima, Patrick M. Walsh, Quincy Chad, Jay Hieron, Jeremie Harris, Alex Breaux, Ludovic Coutaud, Adrian Matilla, Justin L. Wilson, Myra Lucretia Taylor)

Full review

The Ciambra (A Ciambra)

Review preview for The Ciambra

Carpignano is interested in the margins - and the fringes of those margins.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A teenager faces choices as he comes of age.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Jonas Carpignano; Writer: Jonas Carpignano; Stars: Pio Amato, Koudous Seihon, Damiano Amato, Francesco Pio Amato, Iolanda Amato, Patrizia Amato, Rocco Amato, Susanna Amato) , Trailer

Full review

Copa-Loca

This is the story of Copa-Loca, an abandoned Greek summer resort. Paulina is the girl at the heart of Copa-Loca. Everyone cares for her and she cares about everyone – in every possible way.

(Country: Greece; Year: 2017; Director: Christos Massalas; Writer: Christos Massalas; Stars: Jenny Hiloudaki, Pavlos Iordanopoulos, Panos Iosifidis, Talat Iqbal, Nadia Katsoura, Elsa Lekakou, Michalis Pitidis, Stathis Stamoulakatos, Fotis Stratigos)

Short

Crème De Menthe

Following the death of her father, Renée goes back home to Saguenay for the funeral. Forced to empty her late father’s house, she finds a gigantic mess, the result of years of hoarding. In the following six days, Renée will seek her significance, a trace of herself, in the clutter.

(Year: 2017; Director: David Philippe Gagné, Jean Marc E. Roy)

Short

Cuori Puri

(Country: Italy; Year: 2017; Director: Roberto De Paolis; Writer: Roberto De Paolis, Luca Infascelli, Carlo Salsa, Greta Scicchitano; Stars: Selene Caramazza, Simone Liberati, Barbora Bobulova, Stefano Fresi, Edoardo Pesce, Antonella Attili, Federico Pacifici, Alexia Murray, Francesco Primavera, Nick Nicolosi)

La Defensa Del Dragon

Three men who have found shelter in their daily routines are confronted by reality.

(Year: 2017; Director: Natalia Santa ; Writer: Natalia Santa)

Drop By Drop (Água Mole)

The last residents of a village refuse to let themselves sink into oblivion.

(Country: Portugal; Year: 2017; Director: Alexandra Ramires; Writer: Carolina Freitas, Laura Gonçalves, Alexandra Ramires)

Shortq

Farpoes, Balidos

After the Carnation Revolution the peasants in the Alentejo region occupied the huge proprieties where they were once submitted to the power of their masters. The protagonists of this film, resistants of this struggle, tell their story.

(Year: 2017; Director: Marta Mateus)

Short

The Florida Project

Review preview for The Florida Project

The script doesn't patronise its characters, showing they're just as capable of the best of actions and the worst as anybody else, but makes sure we understand the additional pressures they face.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
The story of a precocious six-year-old and her rag-tag group of close friends whose carefree lives contrast with those of their struggling parents.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Sean Baker; Writer: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch; Stars: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Valeria Cotto, Bria Vinaite, Christopher Rivera, Caleb Landry Jones, Macon Blair, Karren Karagulian, Sandy Kane, Cecilia Quinan, Betty Jeune, Lauren O'Quinn, Giovanni Rodriguez, Carl Bradfield, Gary B. Gross)

Full review

Frost

Rokas and Inga, a couple of young Lithuanians, volunteer to drive a cargo van of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but when plans change, the pair find themselves growing closer.

(Country: Lithuania, France, Ukraine, Poland; Year: 2017; Director: Sarunas Bartas; Writer: Sarunas Bartas, Anna Cohen-Yanay; Stars: Boris Abramov, Andrzej Chyra, Mantas Janciauskas, Lyja Maknaviciute, Vanessa Paradis, Weronika Rosati)

I Am Not A Witch

Review preview for I Am Not A Witch

The bobbins are a brilliantly employed metaphor, something that feels freshly sprung from a fairy tale, only silly until you consider how sinister they are.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A young girl is accused of being a witch.

(Country: UK, France; Year: 2017; Director: Rungano Nyoni; Writer: Rungano Nyoni; Stars: Gloria Huwiler, Maggie Mulubwa, Henry B.J. Phiri, Travers Merrill, Nancy Murilo, Nellie Munamonga, Dyna Mufuni, Chileshe Kalimamukwento, Ritah Mubanga)

Full review

The Intrusion (L'Intrust, L'intrusa)

Giovanna, a combative 60-year-old social worker on the frontline of the daily war against pervasive criminality, is confronted, like a modern Antigone, with a moral dilemma that threatens to destroy her work and her life.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2017; Director: Leonardo Di Costanzo; Writer: Maurizio Braucci, Leonardo di Costanzo, Bruno Oliviero; Stars: Raffaella Giordano, Valentina Vannino, Martina Abbate, Anna Patierno, Flavio Rizzo, Marcello Fonte, Maddalena Stornaiuolo, Riccardo Veno, Emma Ferulano, Flora Faliti, Francesca Zazzera, Maria Noioso, Christian Giroso, Carmine Paternoster, Anna Manzo)

Jeannette: The Childhood Of Joan Of Arc (Jeannette L'Enfance De Jeanne D'Arc)

Review preview for Jeannette: The Childhood Of Joan Of Arc

Eternal greatness encounters sacrifice and the film dares to musically tackle questions of complicity in evil. Péguy's socialism, patriotism, and Catholicism mix well with the eager young actors. This is unlike any film you have ever seen.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
Musical about the French heroine.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Bruno Dumont; Writer: Bruno Dumont, based on the play by Charles Péguy; Stars: Lise Leplat Prudhomme, Jeanne Voisin, Lucile Gauthier, Victoria Lefebvre, Aline Charles, Elise Charles, Anaïs Rivière, Gery De Poorter, Régine Delalin, Nicolas Leclaire)

Full review

L'Amant D'Un Jour

Drama about a father and his 23-year-old daughter and the father’s new partner, who is also 23 years old and lives with him.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Philippe Garrel; Writer: Jean-Claude Carrière, Caroline Deruas-Garrel, Philippe Garrel, Arlette Langmann; Stars: Éric Caravaca, Esther Garrel, Louise Chevillotte)

Let The Sunshine In (Dark Glasses, Un Beau Soleil Interieur, Bright Sunshine In)

Review preview for Let The Sunshine In

Denis and Binoche take a perceptive and light approach to what could have been hackneyed material.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
Isabelle, single mum, divorced artist with one child, is looking for love. True love at last.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Claire Denis; Writer: Christine Angot, Claire Denis; Stars: Juliette Binoche, Gérard Depardieu, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Josiane Balasko, Claire Tran, Xavier Beauvois, Alex Descas, Bruno Podalydès, Paul Blain)

Full review See: Interview with Juliette Binoche about Let The Sunshine In, Claire Denis and winning awards

Opening film

Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts

Review preview for Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts

It's as if I Spit On Your Grave has been transformed into a Kabuki drama.

Rory Ford · 3 out of 5
A woman seeks revenge after she is raped.

(Country: Indonesia; Year: 2017; Director: Mouly Surya; Writer: Rama Adi, Garin Nugroho, Mouly Surya; Stars: Marsha Timothy, Yoga Pratama, Egy Fedly, Dea Panendra)

Full review

Mobile Homes

A young mother looks to make a new life for her and her son in a mobile home community.

(Country: Canada, France; Year: 2017; Director: Vladimir de Fontenay; Writer: Vladimir de Fontenay, Danielle Lessovitz; Stars: Imogen Poots, Callum Turner, Callum Keith Rennie, Shane Daly, Karen LeBlanc, Raven Stewart, Keith Bowser, Deragh Campbell, Katie Messina, Lyric Justice, Jai Jai Jones, Thamela Mpumlwana, Luke Gallo, Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz, Rebecca Singh)

Nada

An 18-year-old comes under pressure to decide what university course she'll take... but she doesn't want to do anything.

(Year: 2017; Director: Gabriel Martins)

Short

The Nothing Factory (A Fábrica De Nada)

One night, a group of workers realizes that the administration is stealing machines and raw materials from their own factory, forcing the staff to take a stand.

(Country: Portugal; Year: 2017; Director: Pedro Pinho; Writer: Tiago Hespanha, Luisa Homem, Leonor Noivo, Pedro Pinho, Jorge Silva Melo; Stars: Carla Galvão, Dinis Gomes, Américo Silva, José Smith Vargas)

Patti Cake$

Review preview for Patti Cake$

This film has plenty of hustle even though it sometimes lacks flow.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A New Jersey kid dreams of making it as a rapper.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Geremy Jasper; Writer: Geremy Jasper; Stars: Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie, Cathy Moriarty, McCaul Lombardi, Wass Stevens)

Full review

Closing film

The Prince Of Nothingwood

Review preview for The Prince Of Nothingwood

Even if the facts are fiction, you still get the sense of a man who is driven, at least in part, by an urge to bring some sort of happiness by shooting film rather than bullets.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
The story of Salim Shaheen, the most prolific and popular actor-director-producer in Afghanistan.

(Country: France, Germany; Year: 2017; Director: Sonia Kronlund; Stars: Salim Shaheen)

Full review

Retour a Genoa City

Granny and her brother Uncle Thomas have watched the same soap opera, every day at the same time since 1989. Twenty years after leaving Nice, I come back to see them so they can fill me in on the 3527 episodes I’ve missed.

(Year: 2017; Director: Benoît Grimalt)

Short

The Rider

Review preview for The Rider

The craft, the knowledge, the deep communication with the animal, shown without words - this is breathtaking, transcendent cinema.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
A young cowboy tries to carve out a new identity.

(Country: US; Year: 2017; Director: Chloé Zhao; Writer: Chloé Zhao; Stars: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Cat Clifford, Terri Dawn Pourier, Lane Scott, Tanner Langdeau, James Calhoon, Derrick Janis)

Full review See: Chloé Zhao and Brady Jandreau in conversation on Brady's family, autism, training horses, and cinematographer Joshua James Richards for The Rider , Chloé Zhao and Brady Jandreau in conversation on Werner Herzog and filming The Rider

Ôtez-Moi D'Un Doute

When a widower discovers his father is not his real dad, he goes in search of his biological parent.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2017; Director: Carine Tardieu; Writer: Michel Leclerc, Raphaële Moussafir, Carine Tardieu; Stars: François Damiens, Cécile De France, André Wilms, Alice de Lencquesaing, Guy Marchand, Perrette Souplex, Estéban, Aylin Mikaelian)

Tijuana Tales

A man returns to Tijuana in the hope of finding a woman who has lost herself in drugs and darkness and has apparently become a “white lady”, a ghostly creature half way between heaven and earth.

(Year: 2017; Director: Jean-Charles Hue)

Short

Tresnje

Family tensions are slowly eroding what should have been a carefree summer for the young boy Jakov.

(Year: 2017; Director: Dubravka Turic)

Short

West Of The Jordan River (Field Diary Revisited)

Amos Gitai returns to the occupied territories for the first time since his 1982 documentary Field Diary. West of the Jordan River describes the efforts of citizens, Israelis and Palestinians, who are trying to overcome the consequences of occupation.

(Year: 2017; Director: Amos Gitai)