By Jake Howell jake.howell@utoronto.ca
Cannes 2013: A Slate Analysis
“It’s time to switch on the projectors.”
So says Festival de Cannes president Gilles Jacob in his press memo, like a gun shot at the start of the race.
But wait a second. This is the movie business! “It’s time to switch on the projectors” feels way too stuffy for your stereotypical Hollywood trailer. I propose the following tagline (try and read it in your best trailer voice):
This summer:
19 films.
19 men.
One Bruni-Tedeschi.
(The complete Cannes’ Official Selection, including the Competition, Un Certain Regard, and Out of Competition programs is here.)
From the Selection, we know that Cannes veteran Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi (who has primarily walked the Croisette as an actor) is the only woman in Competition. Bruni-Tedeschi’s Un Chateau en Italie faces 18 films by 19 men (Inside Llewyn Davis is a Coen brothers joint), her contemporaries mostly selected for Un Certain Regard.
Un Certain Regard 2013 looks especially promising. The Salle Debussy sidebar seems far more interesting than the Palme slate, with an intriguing collection of newcomers, lesser-known directors, and women (six, in fact). Of the famous names in Un Certain Regard, Claire Denis, James Franco, and Sofia Coppola make for a tempting trifecta.
As for the Competition, I’d underline the fact that Cannes has programmed 18 films and one TV movie. Steven Soderbergh’s Behind the Candelabra debuts on HBO literally the day after the Festival ends, which strikes me as disappointing (the slot could have gone to Claire Denis, who hasn’t played in Competition since 1988). Of course, the sex, lies, and videotape Palme-winner has reported to retire after Candelabra, so a final shot at gold should prove to be a nice sendoff for Soderbergh.
As for my personal must-see picks, Alexander Payne’s black-and-white Nebraska is a film I hope to be first in line for (and I probably should, given how popular it will be). Similarly, Bruni-Tedeschi’s Un Chateau en Italie sounds to be a classy, light-hearted dramedy, while Francois Ozon’s Jeune et Jolie looks fun and sexy. Big names like James Gray’s The Immigrant (formerly “Lowlife”) and Inside Llewyn Davis are certainly attractive, but I’m keen to see some of the lesser-buzzed flicks, like Arnaud des Pallières’ Michael Kohlhaas (which stars Cannes ‘12 Best Actor, Mads Mikkelsen). Finally, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives should be a brilliant shot of adrenaline.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be continuing what I did last year with my Countdown to Cannes series, where I write short bios for each director in Competition and their respective film’s Palme potentials. Updates and trailers will roll in, too, so we should have a strong idea of what to expect on May 15 when The Great Gatsby opens the Festival.