When Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux first brought Damián Szifrón’s Competition title Relatos Salvajes (Wild Tales) to our attention, he described it as “very unique, personal and different cinema that should wake up the Croisette.”

While this may have been a cheeky joke (Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s 196-minute Winter Sleep had screened just a day prior), Frémaux’s sentiments are accurate: lively and engaging, Wild Tales—a title that’s plural for good reason—is one of the most broadly funny films the Festival has programmed in Competition in recent memory, albeit a little uneven.

Argentine Szifrón, known for his career in comedy television, aims high with his biggest budget to date: Wild Tales intertwines six separate narratives, and the film is primarily successful in finding humor in its theme of ordinary people pushed to their limit. All of these stories include common banalities that grow into fantastic scenarios of violence and revenge, and as the film’s summary relates, these characters “cross the thin line that divides civilization from brutality.” The large ensemble cast that includes some of Argentina’s biggest actors—including Ricardo Darin, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Dario Grandinetti, and Erica Rivas—have fun with the material, and there’s not a dud amongst the performers. Szifrón’s bold use of color, too, fuels the energy in his multiple canvasses.

It would be unfair to explain each of these stories outright (going in blind is probably the best way to experience these vignettes), but the general consensus here at Cannes is that the film bats four for six. While your mileage may vary, at least two of these episodes (possibly more, possibly less) are too long, overstay their premise, or simply don’t get to the punchline on time; that said, all of these sketches are unique and most importantly creative, showing off Szifrón’s dark and cunning satire.

Pedro and Agustin Almodóvar’s El Deseo is a coproducer, appropriate because the campy, over-the-top comedy here is totally within Pedro’s purview. There’s also flashes of social commentary that are comparable to Larry David (and other comedians of the everyday frustration), but Szifrón’s background in crime comedy keeps things visceral, explosive, and surreal.

The film also features a great opening credits sequence. Staying in the theme of “wild,” each cast and crewmember receives a sort of “spirit animal” image that coincides with their title, with the Almodóvars as the proud lions and writer-director Szifrón as the sly fox. With the image of the fox in my head, I continued to imagine Szifrón’s creative process as such; slinking and winking with lots to say, but keeping cool while saying it. Wild Tales is distributed by Warner Bros. on home ground, and Sony Pictures Classics in the U.S. So while this should be a Spanish-language winner (and box-office grosser), the script’s ambitious creativity and the largely successful execution are auspicious signs for future projects.

Because this is the likely the first question on many minds, here’s the good news: Atom Egoyan’s The Captive has very little in common with Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners, 2013’s $61-million-grossing kidnapping thriller that sounded similar on the page. Nope, it’s its own film.

The bad news: The Captive is yet another major misstep for Egoyan, who so desperately needed a successful debut here at Cannes following his just-released, poorly-received Devil’s Knot.

Flashing across a timeline of eight years, The Captive depicts the abduction of the young Cassandra (Alexia Fast) and the efforts made by her loose cannon father Matthew (Ryan Reynolds) and bitter mother Tina (Mireille Enos) to find her (the parallels to Prisoners end here). To add a bit of intrigue to the mix, Egoyan and co-writer David Fraser play with the chronology of their plot structure, moving back and forth from the kidnapping to the present-day aftermath, where Cassandra’s parents are still looking for her. Also in the present: the twisted pedophile Mika (Kevin Durand), who over eight years has established a strange and curious relationship with the now-teenaged Cassandra, locked in his basement. Rosario Dawson and Scott Speedman play good cop, bad cop, respectively, in their hunt to end child pornography rings on the internet. Mika, obsessed with hidden cameras, films his subjects to entertain subscribers to his sick “reality” show.

The blurring of truth and fiction is a fairly standard theme throughout the director’s filmography, and much of Egoyan’s career is recalled in The Captive (even his recent attachment to Mozart finds a cinematic home here). In terms of narrative ambiguity, though, this frostbitten script has a blizzard of silly inconsistencies, like asking Scott Speedman’s cowboy detective to incessantly and needlessly question the motives of Matthew. Is Matthew lying, or was his daughter actually stolen from him? This is just one of the many failed attempts to artificially heighten The Captive’s tension, and when Matthew eventually pops Speedman’s character in the face for being so ceaselessly obnoxious, it’s as if the script is apologizing for allowing this character to waste so much screen time. Thematically, the title of the film doesn’t just apply to abducted Cassandra—these characters are all held captive by something, tangible or otherwise—but this idea was better explored in Prisoners, and here it is far too on the nose to work again.

It’s clear the film wants to obfuscate the truth (is it the past, or is it the present?) and fool us off the scent (how will these dozen loose ends be tied up?) but these mechanisms are unintentionally more confusing than they should be, because they rarely make a lick of sense. Obsessed with peppering in small details that aren’t at all necessary, the script features a myriad of minor characters, like an assistant detective who has the almost supernatural ability to piece together intricate images in his head (we see this for a single scene). Clichés abound: everyone has a dark past or a criminal record, background notes that are hinted at with expository dialogue that is the epitome of unsubtle.

The Captive isn’t dreadful. Reynolds can and does hold his own here—he’s the best thing about this film—and Enos is equally strong. A car chase late in the film is also well-choreographed, and Egoyan’s go-to cinematographer Paul Sarossy captures the snowy Niagara Falls backdrop effectively. Tapping into many of his previous tropes—voyeurism being one of the most prevalent in this film—Egoyan could have had a successful marriage of thriller intrigue and artistic complexity, but on the icy highways of this story, the screenwriting fishtails out of control and never regains it.

“I wanted to make a film about [J. M. W.] Turner, the personality,” director Mike Leigh said in a recent interview commissioned by the Tate Modern. And that is  what he did with Mr. Turner, writing and directing the second film in Competition at Cannes 2014, one that kicks off what will likely be a tight race for the festival’s Best Actor prize.

Joining Leigh for the sixth time is Timothy Spall as the beloved British artist, and as seen in 1996’s Secrets & Lies, the Spall/Leigh combination is a great one. Spall’s nuanced performance as the grunting, guttural Mr. Turner carries the film throughout its hefty, noticeable 149-minute running time. “He is so complex, and there’s so much of him to get your head around,” Leigh said of the painter, and his film is certainly a testament to that; the same is abundantly true for Spall’s ability to really tap into the character.

Looking at the final decades of Turner’s life, the film compresses a quarter-century of narrative  to create a portrait of the artist as complex as he truly was. A survey of the events: Turner paints, he travels, he loves, and he counsels with members of the Royal Academy of Arts (played to perfection by a cast of Leigh regulars, including Lesley Manville as Scottish polymath Mary Somerville). By his side is the pitiable Hannah Danby (Dorothy Atkinson), Turner’s housekeeper who is utterly ignored by the man despite loving him unrequitedly. Jumping late into his life, we see what makes the artist tick, what inspires him, and what eventually kills him. There’s also an interesting intersection between art and technology here, as the science of light and optics is introduced to the artist in the twilight of his years (a thoughtful scene depicting Turner’s first self-daguerreotype is just one example).

The film’s art department, and Leigh’s trusted cinematographer Dick Pope, are to be commended. The mise-en-scène and dramatic blocking of Mr. Turner are inarguably exquisite; the latter of which being typical of Leigh, whose  background in theatre is confidently called to play here. In populated scenes, we always see the faces of each actor in frame; their angles and positions relative to each other are classic to the stage but work brilliantly here, too. Long takes and deliberate dollies allow us to pore over what is definitively inspired set design, with many of the tableaux directly adapted from Turner’s catalog. It may take a trip to the Tate and a second viewing of the film to catch all of these visual references—some of them more obvious than others—but this homage is a subtle yet excellent use of the medium, and deepens the film thematically.

Though much of the film is immaculate, the sum total lacks an emotional weight to lift the biography off the canvas. A whining score and Turner’s grouchy disposition add to the difficulty to feel “moved” by his life’s events, of which there are a lot of. The artist is aging and that is a sad reality, but there’s nothing truly affecting about this inevitability; moreover, certain threads are harped on more than once, generally overstaying their welcome.

Turner’s relationship—or lack thereof—with his housekeeper is an exception, and I found myself more interested in this character than Turner himself. His sexually abusive behavior towards her leaves Hannah miserable and confused, and it’s one of the only emotionally compelling aspects to the entirety of this biography. Her character is a reminder that Mr. Turner is primarily a well-acted, well-shot dramatization of non-events, though that truth doesn’t necessarily detract from what remains an accomplished tribute to the painter of light’s mastery—or, for that matter, Spall’s proficient portrayal.

The last in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: English; born Salford, Greater Manchester, England 1943.

Known for / style: Naked (1993), Secrets & Lies (1996), All or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004), Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), Another Year (2010); a playwright in addition to writing and directing films; improvised and / or organic approaches to character creation; unassuming realism; regularly and repeatedly working with some of the United Kingdom’s greatest actors; depicting London on film.

Notable accolades: Winner of the Palme d’Or in 1996 (Secrets & Lies), Leigh has been nominated for a total of seven Oscars (five times for his writing, two for directing). He’s won a handful of BAFTAs, a British Film Institute Fellowship, and also Best Director at Cannes (Naked, 1993). Also at Cannes are two Ecumenical Jury wins (Another Year, 2010 and Secrets & Lies). Leigh, who has been lauded by film societies the world over, also won Venice’s Golden Lion in 2004 for Vera Drake.

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Mr. Turner, a biographical depiction of J.M.W. Turner, a British artist. Joining Leigh for a sixth time is Timothy Spall as the title protagonist, and the film looks at the “last quarter century of the great if eccentric” painter. From the Cannes program book: “Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies. Throughout this, he travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.” Leigh’s again hired his go-to cinematographer Dick Pope to shoot the film. The cast is filled out with Dorothy Atkinson and frequent Leigh collaborators Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson, Lesley Manville, Martin Savage, and Ruth Sheen.

Could it win the Palme? Mike Leigh will be competing against his British realist contemporary Ken Loach—also a fellow Palme d’Or winner—and if either of these directors are to double-dip in gold, it’s Leigh. The cast is stacked with a host of classically trained actors and Leigh’s patient, sensitive approach to drama just might hold the ticket. Timothy Spall and Mike Leigh are also a golden combination at Cannes, with the Spall-led Secrets & Lies winning the Palme in 1996.

Why you should care: “I wanted to make a film about Turner, the personality,” Leigh said in a clip commissioned by the Tate Modern. “He is so complex, and there’s so much of him to get your head around. Turner was a compulsive artist. Turner had to paint, had to draw, all the time. It was an obsession.” What’s more, Leigh has also gone to lengths to recreate certain Turner paintings for the picture, with certain in-film tableaus inspired by real works from the artist’s catalogue.

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Tommy Lee Jones
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Bertrand Bonello
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Andrey Zvyagintsev
Abderrahmane Sissako
Alice Rohrwacher
Olivier Assayas
Damian Szifron

The penultimate in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: Argentinean; born Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires Province 1975.

Known for / style: El Fondo del Mar (English: The Bottom of the Sea) (2003), Tiempo de Valientes (English: On Probation) (2005), TV series Los simuladores (2006), TV series Hermanos y detectives (2009); writing and directing television series in addition to feature films; buddy-cop comedies that focus on crime and investigating criminality.

Notable accolades: Mainstream comedies don’t typically translate to art-house festival success, despite Szifrón’s impressive local box-office numbers. Still, San Sebastian honored him with a Horizons Award (special mention) in 2003 for The Bottom of the Sea, a film that also took the French Critics’ Discovery Award at the Toulous Latin America Film Festival. At the 2006 Peñíscola Comedy Film Festival, On Probation snagged Best Film and Best Director.

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Relatos Salvajes (English: Wild Tales), an action-packed Spanish-language comedy thriller. Described by festival head Thierry Fremaux as “very unique, personal and different cinema that should wake up the Croisette,” the film is comprised of six stories and is Szifrón’s largest budget film to date (the film is distributed by Warner Bros.). From the official program guide: “Vulnerable before a reality that can suddenly be modified and become unpredictable, the characters cross the thin line that divides civilization from brutality. A story about love deception, the return of the past, a tragedy, or even the violence contained in an everyday detail, appear themselves to push them towards the abyss, into the undeniable pleasure of losing control.” The film stars Ricardo Darin (The Secret in Their Eyes) and other high-profile Argentinean actors (Rita Cortese, Oscar Martinez, Dario Grandinetti, and others). Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain) scored.

Could it win the Palme? Judging by the distributor (Warner), the trailer (which dropped summer 2013), and the fact that the film has a tagline (”all can lose control”), it’s safe to say this is primarily a commercial piece of cinema. While Wild Tales looks to be a more thoughtful picture (and there’s a place at Cannes for films that both excite and inspire), the most likely prize is something like the Prix du Scénario—not a Palme—if Szifrón’s multi-pronged narrative is strong. A directing nod would also seem appropriate, especially if each of his six stories are distinctly worthwhile.

Why you should care: Though it’s a Spanish co-production, this Argentinean film is the only South American work in Competition. Known primarily for his work in television, Szifrón’s latest film is certainly ambitious, given its budget, scope, and well-known cast. If Wild Tales is good—hell, if it does well internationally—his projects may simply continue to grow bigger and bigger.

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Tommy Lee Jones

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Jean-Luc Godard

Bertrand Bonello

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

Andrey Zvyagintsev

Abderrahmane Sissako

Alice Rohrwacher

Olivier Assayas

The fiftheen in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: Italian; born Fiesole, Tuscany 1980.

Known for / style: Corpo Celeste (2011); a filmmaking career that began with editing, shooting, and directing documentaries, both shorts and features; autobiographical tendencies; handheld camera work; natural or realist approaches to direction.

Notable accolades: Relatively fresh on the scene, Rohrwacher has yet to pick up anything major. At Italy’s David di Donatello awards, she was nominated for the Best New Director prize. The Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists, on the other hand, opted to laud her as such.

Previous Cannes appearances: Rohrwacher’s debut film, Corpo Celeste, played in the 2011 Director’s Fortnight program.

Film she’s bringing to Cannes: Le Meraviglie (English: The Wonders), an Italian-language family drama. From the official website: “Fourteen-year-old Gelsomina lives in the Umbrian countryside with her sweetly dysfunctional family. Her secluded microcosm is shattered by the arrival of Martin, a young German criminal on a rehab program. Le Meraviglie tells a small but cruel love story between a father and daughter, their torments, jealousy and shyness. They give abundantly, and betray each other painfully. It tells of the ties that bind one family together, and a land undergoing a profound transformation. It is also the story of a great failure, through which they all gather strength.” The film stars Monica Bellucci, Alba Rohrwacher (the director’s sister), André Hennicke, Margarete Tiesel, Sam Louwyck, and Sabine Timoteo.

Could it win the Palme? As is the case with Naomi Kawase, Jane Campion may be looking to celebrate Rohrwacher as the second woman to ever win the Palme d’Or. Realistically, though, filmmakers don’t typically jump from Director’s Fortnight into the Competition straightaway (especially if they are women), so Rohrwacher may very well have something seriously strong here. In other words: the Cannes programmers have slotted the rising Italian director in the Palme race for a reason, and it’s a waiting game to see what The Wonders has in store. Regardless, the inclusion of the iconic Monica Bellucci makes the film a must-see.

Why you should care: Given that Alice Rohrwacher has only one narrative feature to her name, there’s a certain sense of anticipation in catching her sophomore effort. 2011’s Corpo Celeste was critically quite successful, and the trailer for The Wonders hints at something akin to the sun-kissed countryside narratives of the Italian neo-realists.

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Jean-Luc Godard
Bertrand Bonello

The fourteenth in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: Mauritanian; born Kiffa, Mauritania 1961.

Known for / style: Life on Earth (1998), Waiting for Happiness (2002), Bamako (2006); themes of alienation, foreignness, rejection, or displacement; experimenting with improvisation; working with cinematographer Jacques Besse; shooting in Mali; the use of non-actors; narratives of immigration, colonialism, and globalization.

Notable accolades: Despite the challenges African filmmakers face getting their work screened, Sissako has done  well: at Cannes, Waiting for Happiness took a FIPRESCI prize and won Sissako the “Foreign Cineaste of the Year” title; at FESPACO, the film won the fest’s Grand Prize. Also at FESPACO, Life on Earth snagged a special mention, the Air Afrique award, the TELCIPRO award, and the NALCO award. 2006’s Bamako won Sissako the Lumiere Award for Best French-language film.

Previous Cannes appearances: Sissako joins the Competition for the first time in 2014. Prior, he’s screened twice in Un Certain Regard (his short Octobre and feature Waiting for Happiness), once in a parallel section (Life on Earth), and once out of Competition (Bamako). He’s also sat on three separate Cannes juries: short film (2000, member), Un Certain Regard (2003, President), and the Competition (2007, member).

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Le Chagrin des Oiseaux (English title: Timbuktu), a French-Mauritanian drama. Actors Abel Jafri and Hichem Yacoubi are joined by a cast of unknown performers. Timbuktu’s plot summary, found on the distributor’s website, is a doozy: “Not far from Timbuktu, now ruled by the religious fundamentalists, Kidane lives peacefully in the dunes with his wife Satima, his daughter Toya, and Issan, their twelve-year-old shepherd. In town, the people suffer, powerless, from the regime of terror imposed by the Jihadists determined to control their faith. Music, laughter, cigarettes, even soccer have been banned. The women have become shadows but resist with dignity. Every day, the new improvised courts issue tragic and absurd sentences. Kidane and his family are being spared the chaos that prevails in Timbuktu. But their destiny changes when Kidane accidentally kills Amadou, the fisherman who slaughtered ‘GPS,’ his beloved cow. He now has to face the new laws of the foreign occupants.”

Could it win the Palme? While he has no continental compatriots on the jury, Sissako’s pedigree has brought him to a boiling point: he’s a Competition newcomer for a reason, and his film sounds incredibly heavy. It may pack the emotional punch needed to lift the gold, and if it does, Timbuktu would be Mauritania’s first Palme d’Or. Outside of that, Campion and Co. could very likely go for something equally prestigious, like a directing or Grand Jury prize.

Why you should care: At Cannes 2014 Abderrahmane Sissako is representing oft-neglected African cinema on a world stage, and he’s typically considered one of the most important filmmakers of the entire continent. His latest film also features a location he’s shot before, if you’ll recall the Danny Glover spaghetti western “Death in Timbuktu” featured as a film-within-a-film in Bamako (titled as such to call attention to the tragedies happening daily there). Timbuktu is sure to be an important work, regardless of the prizes it may take home.

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Bertrand Bonello

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

Andrey Zvyagintsev

The thirteenth in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: Russian; born Novosibirsk, Siberia 1964.

Known for / style: The Return (2003), The Banishment (2007), Elena (2011); working with cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, actors Konstantin Lavronenko and Elena Lyadova, and screenwriter Oleg Negin; smaller productions with minimal characters; dazzling on-location images; water motifs; films that dissect social issues of the Russian working class; narratives of family and domestic drama.

Notable accolades: Zvyagintsev (approximately pronounced zvah-geent-sev)’s first film The Return sparked a major rash of awards, but none as big as the Venice’s Golden Lion (also at Venice: the Luigi de Laurentiis Award, SIGNIS award, Sergio Trasatti Award, and the CinemAvvenire award). Heralded by the European Film Awards as “Discovery of the Year” in 2003, the director went on to pick up a Jury Prize at Cannes for his Un Certain Regard film Elena (2011), with many critics claiming it should have played in Competition. He’s won three FIPRESCI prizes, snagged a “high commendation” for directing at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and secured even more prizes at local and smaller European festivals.

Previous Cannes appearances: In 2007, Zyvagintsev moved on from the Lido and debuted Competition title The Banishment on the Croisette, where it was received with mixed reviews. Perhaps as a result, Cannes slotted his follow-up Elena into Un Certain Regard. 2014 will mark his second film in Competition.

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Leviathan, a Russian-language drama. From IMDb: “Spanning multiple characters about the human insecurity in a “new country,” [Leviathan] gradually unwinds to a mythological scale concerning the human condition on earth entirely.” According to Leviathan producer Alexander Rodnyansky, the film is “a story of love and tragedy experienced by ordinary people.” Rejoining Zvyagintsev for his fourth feature are scriptwriter Olen Negin, cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, actress Elena Lyadova, and Elena sound designer Andrey Dergachev. The film is a contemporary spin on the Book of Job, meaning Zvyagintsev’s typically small cast size has been ramped up considerably to tell a larger story.

Could it win the Palme? Leviathan is sure to be a major front-runner, despite screening on the very last day of the Festival (something Zvyagintsev should be used to, with Elena closing Un Certain Regard in 2011). Given the scope and intention of the production, there is a possibility the film grew too large (this is the director’s biggest budget to date), but nevertheless this is a keenly anticipated Competition title; one that is tipped to be an awards giant.

Why you should care: Called a “sophomore slump” by some, The Banishment is the director’s least successful film as far as critics were concerned; outside of that, Zvyagintsev’s first and third features are compared to work by Russian film heroes like Tarkovsky. It’s also the only Russian film in Competition, and given how many films are made there locally per year, you can bet this hand-picked title is likely very strong.

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter: @Jake_Howell

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Tommy Lee Jones

Atom Egoyan

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Naomi Kawase

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Jean-Luc Godard

Bertrand Bonello

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

The eleventh in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: French; born Nice, France 1968.

Known for / style: The Pornographer (2001), Tiresia (2003), House of Tolerance (2011); films that depict sex and sexuality openly or explicitly; an accomplished background in music; works that are typically associated with New French Extremism; a filmography that includes several shorts; working with actors Laurent Lucas and Jérémie Renier and collaborating with cinematographer Josée Deshaies; screenwriting in addition to directing.

Notable accolades: In terms of trophies, Bonello has been quiet on the festival circuit; he picked up a lone FIPRESCI prize in 2001 for his Critics’ Week film The Pornographer. House of Tolerance was thrice-nominated for France’s local Prix Lumière (Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay) but did not win. In 2009, Bonello snagged Miami’s “Cutting the Edge” award for his film De la Guerre (2008).

Previous Cannes appearances: Not part of the Official Selection yet still on the Croisette, The Pornographer debuted at the 2001 Critics’ Week. Bonello has since played twice in Competition (Tiresia, 2003; House of Tolerance, 2011) and once out of Competition (the 2005 short film Cindy, The Doll is Mine).

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Saint Laurent, Bonello’s biographical depiction of iconic fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Not to be confused with Jalil Lespert’s Yves Saint Laurent (released earlier this year), the title role is played by Gaspard Ulliel and features Léa Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Color), Louis Garrel (seen last at Cannes last year for A Castle in Italy), Jérémie Renier, and Helmut Berger. Seydoux plays Loulou de la Falaise, YSL’s close friend and fellow designer, while Renier plays Pierre Bergé, his former partner. The film is co-written by Jacques Audiard’s go-to scribe Thomas Bidegain, who helped pen A Prophet (2009) and Rust and Bone (2012).

Could it win the Palme? Trailing the pack of French-language films in the 2014 Competition is Saint Laurent, a film that faces the unfortunate reality of being screened in the wake of Berlin-bowing Yves Saint Laurent. Bonello’s critical success isn’t as established as his contemporary Competition (House of Tolerance was hit-or-miss at the Salle Debussy), so while his cast is certainly formidable, this is a film that will likely live or die on Gaspard Ulliel’s performance. That means we could see an acting prize for Ulliel if he pulls it off, as is usually the case with biopics; otherwise, this film seems an unlikely winner, and one that was initially questioned by some for being included in Competition at all.

Why you should care: Not that anyone was asking for two films on Yves Saint Laurent in the same year, but Lespert’s attempt wasn’t exactly a blockbusting success. Judging from his previous works it appears Bonello’s taken a more commercial approach (Saint Laurent is likely his most distributable), and if his attempt at the designer is stronger than Lespert’s, then so be it—we’ll take it. The film will also check in on 2013 Competition alumni Léa Seydoux and Louis Garrel, and damned if Garrel can’t do better than A Castle in Italy.

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter: @Jake_Howell

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Tommy Lee Jones

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Jean-Luc Godard

The eleventh in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: Belgian; born Liège, Belgium 1951 (Jean-Pierre) and 1954 (Luc).

Known for / style: La Promesse (1996), Rosetta (1999), L’enfant (2005), The Kid with a Bike (2011); slice-of-life films made with naturalist (handheld) and social realist approaches to filmmaking; narratives that focus on the downtrodden; minimal use of score; explorations of family (sometimes dysfunctional) dynamics; working with actors Jérémie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione, and Olivier Gourmet; working with cinematographer Alain Marcoen; working with non-actors and lesser-known players.

Notable accolades: The Dardenne brothers are two of only eight filmmakers who have won the Palme d’Or twice (first for Rosetta, again for L’enfant). Other Cannes wins include the Grand Prix (The Kid with a Bike) Best Screenplay (Lorna’s Silence, 2008), and two Ecumenical Jury prizes (Le fils, 2002 and Rosetta). Their films routinely pick up awards at European film festivals, and they’ve won three Lumiere Awards for Best French Film (Le fils, L’enfant, and Lorna’s Silence).

Previous Cannes appearances: The frères first appeared at Cannes in 1987, debuting Falsch in a parallel section. They later followed up with La Promesse in 1996, also playing parallel to the Competition. Since then, they’ve regularly been slated as veterans of the big leagues, including Rosetta, Le fils, L’enfant, Lorna’s Silence, and The Kid with a Bike (2014 will mark their sixth slot in Competition). They also participated in 2007’s anthology film Chacun son Cinéma.

Film they’re bringing to Cannes: Deux jours, une nuit (Two Days, One Night), a French-language film starring Marion Cotillard and Fabrizio Rongione (Rongione being a regular Dardenne player, Cotillard a newcomer). From IMDb: “The film follows Sandra, a young woman assisted by her husband, who has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job.” Described as a “Belgian Western” by Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux, the film also features Catherine Salée, last seen in 2013 Palme winner Blue is the Warmest Color.

Could it win the Palme? As was the case in 2012 with Michael Haneke, the question is not “if” the Dardennes will win but “what” they will win. When Rosetta won the Palme in 1999, it was a controversial move by David Cronenberg’s jury; the Dardennes second Palme in 2005 was a vindication for everyone who believed Rosetta was a worthy winner. In 2014 their auteur status is no longer questioned, with their latest Cannes debut riding off with the Grand Prix. While no one in history has three Golden Palms to their name, you can be sure Two Days, One Night is not walking away empty-handed, from acting awards (Marion Cotillard, darling of French-language cinema? Come on) to any of the Festival’s major prizes.

Why you should care: Fabrizio Rongione’s roles in the Dardenne filmography have primarily been minor, so it should prove intriguing to see him play a lead here in Two Days, One Night. Of course, the casting of Marion Cotillard brings a certain must-see quality to the Dardennes’ work (which has typically avoided star power), and if the brothers do inevitably take home something big, well…

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter: @Jake_Howell
Previous Entries:
Tommy Lee Jones
Atom Egoyan
Bennett Miller
Xavier Dolan
David Cronenberg
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Naomi Kawase
Ken Loach
Michel Hazanavicius
Jean-Luc Godard

The tenth in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: French-Swiss; born Paris, France 1930.

Known for / style: Breathless (1960), Pierrot le Fou (1965), Alphaville (1965); Film Socialisme (2010); a founding member of the nouvelle vague; accomplished film criticism in addition to screenwriting; an incredibly prolific output that has moved on from narrative filmmaking and transitioned more into experimental documents, short films, and video commentaries on art, life, and love; a blatant dismissal of institutions and traditions; elliptical editing; avant-garde tendencies; politically and philosophically-charged cinema.

Notable accolades: Cannes is one of the only major festivals that hasn’t presented one of the original modern auteurs with a prize—not that Godard thinks twice about this, mind you. At the top of his awards shelf are his two Golden Lions from Venice (a career award and one for Prénom Carmen, 1983), the Golden Bear from Berlin (Alphaville), and an honorary Oscar at the 83rd Academy Awards. In true Godardian fashion, he was not present for that award.

Previous Cannes appearances: Godard has attended the Festival for over five decades. He began his journeys there acting in the Agnès Varda Competition title Cleo de 5 a 7 (1962), later bringing his films to parallel sections (Vent d’Est, 1970; Comment ca va, 1976; Ici et Ailleurs, 1977) and then finally in Competiton (Sauve qui Peut / La Vie, 1980; Passion, 1982; Détective, 1985; Aria, 1987; Nouvelle Vague, 1990; Eloge de L’amour, 2001). He’s also played Un Certain Regard a number of times, including Lettre a Freddy Buache (1982), Histoire(s) du Cinéma (1997), and Film Socialisme (2010). Out of Competiton, he’s premiered Histoires du Cinéma (1988) and Notre Musique (2004). Cannes’ Classics program has also showed a few selections from his catalogue. Godard will also be bringing a Special Screening of his 2014 documentary Bridges of Sarajevo to the Croisette.

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Adieu au Langage 3D (Goodbye to Language), an expectedly experimental film shot natively in 3D. The newly-released trailer features a Godardian aesthetic most recently seen in Film Socialisme (2010), including white text overlays, ambiguous storytelling, video and handheld camerawork, and avant-garde color palettes. The synopsis, found on the distributor’s website: “The idea is simple: A married woman and a single man meet. They love, they argue, fists fly. A dog strays between town and country. The seasons pass. The man and woman meet again. The dog finds itself between them. The other is in one, the one is in the other.”

Could it win the Palme? Godard hasn’t won anything from Cannes, and he certainly doesn’t care either way: he’s already far more canonized than some current Palme d’Or owners, which is to say awards are technically irrelevant. That’s not to say he couldn’t win the top prize in 2014, but we’ll have to see if he even shows up to the Festival in the first place. Goodbye to Language might seem impenetrable or an otherwise difficult sit, but the jury has some notably excellent fans of video that may enjoy Godard’s latest (Jia Zhangke, for one). A career Palme d’Or, if anything, seems the most likely.

Why you should care: Godard hasn’t screened in Competition in over a decade, and many of the filmmakers he’ll be competing against were inspired by his work. While he was hilariously absent for his scheduled Film Socialisme appearance, you can be sure that if he does attend Cannes 2014, the press conference for Goodbye to Language will be assuredly great: Godard will smoke his cigarettes, answer questions with brutal honesty, and act as if none of this matters at all. If nothing else, expect his latest film to be an interesting commentary on rhetoric and the mode of 3D-filmmaking.

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter: @Jake_Howell

Previous Entries:

Tommy Lee Jones

Atom Egoyan

Bennett Miller

Xavier Dolan

David Cronenberg

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Naomi Kawase

Ken Loach

Michel Hazanavicius

The ninth in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: French; born Paris, France 1967.

Known for / style: The Artist (2011) and the spy parody series OSS 117; working with Jean Dujardin and his wife Bérénice Bejo; comedic capers and light-hearted narratives; a filmography that began in television series and TV movies; writing in addition to directing.

Notable accolades: Aside from the Best Picture Oscar, Hazanavicius’ biggest accolade is assuredly his Best Director Oscar for The Artist at the 84th Academy Awards. At the same ceremony, The Artist took home a total of five trophies out of ten nominated categories, three of which were for Hazanavicius’ work (Best Editing, Best Director, Best Screenplay). The Artist also won the director two BAFTA awards (Director, Screenplay), two Césars (Director, Best Film), and countless other prizes from around the world.

Previous Cannes appearances: The Artist is the only film Hazanavicius has brought to the Festival, and it was an unexpected (read: late) addition to the Competition. He’s likely attended the Festival a number of times, however, as his wife Bérénice Bejo is a regular on the red carpet.

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: The Search, which stars Bérénice Bejo and Annette Bening. From the IMDb summary: “A woman who works for a non-governmental organization forms a special relationship with a young boy in war-torn Chechnya.” The film is actually a remake of the Academy Award-winning 1948 Fred Zinnemann film of the same name, but wait: Hazanavicius has flipped some of the genders around, though, and updated things to a more contemporary context. Child actor Maksim Emelyanov will play the role that Ivan Jandl won his Juvenile Oscar for.

Could it win the Palme? The major narrative here: could Hazanavicius really follow up his Best Picture Oscar with a Palme d’Or? It’s doubtful at best, especially if the jury wants to share the wealth (or feels that it isn’t prudent to laud the recently lauded). In other words, the odds of back-to-back wins for the biggest prizes in cinema seems incredibly unlikely. His spy spoofs aside, Hazavanicius has only essentially one major contender to his name (The Artist), which went down easy and played into a delicious type of nostalgia. That’s simply not the case this time, and the tone of The Search means the director’s buoyant sense of humor will be completely missing. The film is a must-see (the casting of Bejo and Bening solidifies that), but in terms of Palme prospects, we’re in uncharted territory here.

Why you should care: There’s a lot on the line for Hazanavicius, who faces the tricky task of following up a massive success with something unexpected. What lies in store with this film? Details are scant, despite this being a remake of a known quantity. If The Search is a failure, you can be sure that some critics will be chomping at the bit to call The Artist a fluke. But if Hazanavicius can pull off this drastic departure, we’ll witness the confirmation of a major auteur.

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter: @Jake_Howell

Previous Entries:

Tommy Lee Jones

Atom Egoyan

Bennett Miller

Xavier Dolan

David Cronenberg

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Naomi Kawase

Ken Loach

Michel Hazanavicius

The eighth in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: English; born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England 1936.

Known for / style: My Name Is Joe (1998), Sweet Sixteen (2002), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), The Angels’ Share (2012); a narrative filmography that also includes television miniseries, documentaries, and docudramas; works that sympathize with leftist ideals; collaborating largely with Scottish lawyer-turned-scriptwriter Paul Laverty; stories featuring controversial figures and/or political activists; a naturalist approach to filmmaking that includes a tendency towards kitchen sink or social realism; improvisation; a noted rejection of institutions like the British monarchy and the patronage they represent.

Notable accolades: Winner of the Palme d’Or for The Wind the Shakes the Barley (2006), Loach is one of nine directors from the United Kingdom to have done so. He’s long been a favorite at Cannes, having won three Jury Prizes (Hidden Agenda, 1990; Raining Stones, 1993; The Angels’ Share, 2012), a lifetime achievement award from the 2004 Cannes Ecumenical Jury, and three other special mentions from Ecumenical Juries (Looks and Smiles, 1981; Hidden Agenda, 1990; Land and Freedom, 1995). Loach is also the winner of seven FIPRESCI prizes, and he has an honorary Golden Bear from Berlin (2014), as well as being a two-time BAFTA winner.

Previous Cannes appearances: Loach has a storied past with the Festival, debuting a total of eleven films in Competition: Looks and Smiles (1981), Hidden Agenda (1993), Raining Stones (1993), Land and Freedom (1995), My Name is Joe (1998), Bread & Roses (2000), Sweet Sixteen (2002), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Looking for Eric (2009), Route Irish (2010), and The Angels’ Share (2012). Loach has also played Un Certain Regard (1980’s The Gamekeeper), Out of Competition (2007’s Chacun son Cinéma), and other parallel selections (Kes, 1970; Family Life, 1972; Black Jack, 1979; Riff-Raff, 1991).

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Jimmy’s Hall, marking the tenth feature-length collaboration between Loach and  Laverty. Based on a true story, Loach once again highlights a figure of political activism in Jimmy Gralton, an Irish communist. In the 1930s, Gralton opened a center for free thought and expression against the church and local authorities, later persecuted for his practices. Lesser-known British actor Barry Ward plays the title role, while Simone Kirby, Andrwe Scott, Jim Norton, and Brían F. O’Byrne join him.

Could it win the Palme? We have here a period drama that features the director’s signature righteous indignation (perhaps conspicuously so), and the trailer for Jimmy’s Hall does showcase what looks like some strong performances. At this point, however, Loach’s films play at Cannes regardless of their quality. Admittedly, initial Palme prospects seemed very low for Loach’s 2012 comedy The Angels’ Share (the film nevertheless went on to win a Jury Prize). It’s a tough call. We’ll see if the Jury wants to bestow a second Palme to the veteran filmmaker, but gut impressions—and a survey of the other heavyweight films in Competition—make this an unlikely winner.

Why you should care: When it was rumored that Jimmy’s Hall was going to be Ken Loach’s fiction film swansong, bets on a lifetime achievement Palme d’Or could easily have been made. That’s no longer the case, however, and we’re now looking forward to an entry that’s released days after the Festival ends (May 30), with more Loach/Laverty joints to come, if on a less sweeping scale. Gralton is an interesting character in history, and Loach is certainly the man to tell his story.

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter: @Jake_Howell
Previous Entries:
Tommy Lee Jones
Atom Egoyan
Bennett Miller
Xavier Dolan
David Cronenberg
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Naomi Kawase

The seventh in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: Japanese; born Nara, Japan 1969.

Known for / style: Shara (2003), The Mourning Forest (2007), Hanezu (2011); a filmography that includes documentaries (many of them short); tender, delicate narratives; writing novels in addition to scripts; reflections on being raised by her grandparents; films that are inspired by personal stories in her life; working with non-professional actors; images that reflect a reverence for the natural world and the elements.

Notable accolades: When Kawase won the Camera d’Or for her first narrative feature (Suzaku, 1997) it was the beginning of a major festival career. Since then, she’s won the Grand Prix at Cannes (The Mourning Forest), two FIPRESCI prizes (Hotaru, 2000 and Suzaku), and was the recipient of a “Filmmakers of the Present” award at Locarno.

Previous Cannes appearances: Kawase has had three films in Competition: Sharasojyu (2003), The Mourning Forest (2007), and Hanezu (2011). Suzaku (1997) played in a parallel section, where it won the Camera d’Or.

Film she’s bringing to Cannes: Still the Water (Japanese: Futatsume no mado), a coming-of-age romance. From the distributor notes: “On the subtropical Japanese island of Amami, traditions about nature remain eternal. During the full-moon night of traditional dances in August, 16-year-old Kaito discovers a dead body floating in the sea. His girlfriend Kyoko will attempt to help him understand this mysterious discovery. Together, Kaito and Kyoko will learn to become adults by experiencing the interwoven cycles of life, death and love.” Continuing her career theme of elemental veneration, Still the Water’s title liquid will be a major motif.

Could it win the Palme? Kawase’s sensitive style is mature, emotionally stirring, and pitch-perfect for the Palme. Is it reductive to think Jane Campion, the only woman to have won the Palme d’Or, would want to induct someone new to her  club? Probably, but the thought remains nonetheless. The jury’s favorite film will be the winning film—full stop. But the images released from Still the Water hint at something beautiful, and Kawase has come very close to winning before. Make no mistake: she is a favorite to win.

Why you should care: “We don’t have many very original films in Japan,” Kawase said in an 2013 interview commissioned by Cannes. “Perhaps this is due to the fact that it is a country with a very marked and very specific culture.” If you feel similarly, Still the Water is a no-brainer. Otherwise, it will be neat to see Kawase compete against Jean-Luc Godard, a hero of hers. “Godard [and the nouvelle vague]’s way of filming life really influenced my style, my way of depicting reality,” Kawase said in the same interview.

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter: @Jake_Howell

Previous Entries:
Tommy Lee Jones
Atom Egoyan
Bennett Miller
Xavier Dolan
David Cronenberg
Nuri Bilge Ceylan

The sixth in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: Turkish; born in Istanbul, Turkey, 1959.

Known for / style: Kasaba (Small Town, 1997), Üç Maymun (Three Monkeys, 2008), Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, 2011); extended takes with little-to-no camera movement; sprawling runtimes; scenes of deafening silence; wide or distanced shots of landscapes; domestic dramas cast with non-actors or family members; accomplished photography and screenwriting in addition to directing.

Notable accolades: Throughout his two decades or so on the festival circuit, Ceylan (approximately pronounced “dzjay-lan”) has nearly won it all. At Cannes, he’s taken home the Grand Jury Prize twice (Uzak, 2002; Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, 2011) and the Festival’s prestigious Best Director award in 2008 (Three Monkeys). At Berlin, he won the Caligari Film Award in 2008 for Small Town. He’s also a seven-time FIPRESCI Award winner from multiple festivals, a veritable hero at his local Istanbul International Film Festival, and a two-time winner of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Achievement in Direction prize (Anatolia and Three Monkeys).

Previous Cannes appearances: Since his Competition debut in 2002 (Uzak), Ceylan has reserved his world premieres for Cannes, with Climates, Three Monkeys and Anatolia following in the same pattern. His 1995 short film Koza played in the short film Competition, and he is a two-time Jury veteran (Competition member, 2009; Cinéfondation member, 2004). In other words, 2014 will mark his fifth shot at a feature-length Palme d’Or.

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Kış Uykusu or Winter Sleep, which may or may not refer to the film’s intimidating 196-minute run-time. “Winter Sleep is about humans,” Ceylan said in an interview with Sony’s technical side. “It’s a drama set in the middle of Turkey, in Anatolia. We captured many kinds of images on location, shooting in Cappadocia over wintertime. There are many kinds of landscapes, human-scapes and portraits, sometimes in snow, sometimes in cloudy weather and more seldomly sunny images as well.” The newly-released trailer shows Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer struggling with domestic married life.

Could it win the Palme? Ceylan is essentially three for four in his Cannes career. Given that the auteur’s style is tailor-made for the Palme’s proclivities, you could bet that Ceylan may be a candidate for  serious awards consideration. A full-out win at this point seems almost too obvious, so we’ll have to wait (and wait) to see. That said, do not be surprised if 2014 marks Turkey’s second Palme d’Or win, after Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören’s golden The Way (1982).

Why you should care:  Ceylan has helped place Turkish cinema on the international radar. It might prove difficult to get excited about a drama that’s longer than a Lord of the Rings entry, but Ceylan’s gorgeous location photography, careful consideration of pacing, and his intriguing human story should more than justify its running time. Ceylan’s masterful style is his own.

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter: @Jake_Howell
Previous Entries:
Tommy Lee Jones
Atom Egoyan
Bennett Miller
Xavier Dolan
David Cronenberg

The fifth in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: Canadian; born in Toronto, Ontario 1943.

Known for / style: Videodrome (1983), Crash (1996), A History of Violence (2005), Cosmopolis (2012);  an evolving canon of films that are often cerebral, experimental, or otherwise disturbing; subversive spins on the mundane; themes of existential angst and domestic crises; body horror.

Notable accolades: Cronenberg’s informal title as Canada’s most distinguished filmmaker has been more or less built by North American critics. At Cannes, he absorbed a Special Jury Prize for Audacity for Crash, and in 2006, he was given the “Golden Coach” award by the Festival, a lifetime achievement prize. He’s won a plethora of local Genie awards, he’s a two-time winner of the National Society of Film Critics’ (USA) Best Director award (A History of Violence and Naked Lunch), as well as a Best Screenwriting award (Naked Lunch), and he’s been paid countless dues by LAFCA, NYFCC, and the TFCA critic societies. In 2013, the Toronto International Film Festival showcased a major exhibition on his life’s work, “David Cronenberg: Evolution.”

Previous Cannes appearances: DC’s Palme pitches include Crash (1996), Spider (2002), A History of Violence (2005), and Cosmopolis (2012). In 2007, he participated in the auteur pantheon Chacun son Cinéma (Out of Competition). In 1999, he was President of the Jury.

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Maps to the Stars, with Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson, John Cusack, Mia Wasikowska, Sarah Gadon and Olivia Williams. The film unfurls as a commentary on both Western civilization and the entertainment industry, centering on an archetypically “famous” family with some unusual complications and bizarre twists. Robert Pattinson will spend more time in a Cronenbergian limousine, while Bruce Wagner’s script will feature his signature criticisms of Hollywood. (“Reality shows are the new American narcotic.”)

Could it win the Palme? We can divine a fair amount from gazing at the film’s trailer. Cronenberg’s more recent cinema has a discursive, nihilistic, distant, perhaps sterile feel, with A Dangerous Method (2011) and Cosmopolis landing divisively amongst critics. That aesthetic seems to be the case again in Maps to the Stars, and while there is more to these films than the lazy dismissal of them being “talky,” Jane Campion’s jury constellation might align differently.

Why you should care: “I infect my work with madness, then let it settle,” Bruce Wagner told LA Weekly in 2005 when his satirical Hollywood novel, “Dead Stars,” was released. “The story is infected by something, like in David Cronenberg’s films.” Ten years ago, after a decade of working on a script inspired by his time as a Hollywood limo driver (like Pattinson’s character in Maps), Wagner showed his work to Cronenberg. They’ve been trying to make this film ever since, eventually finding an A-list cast to join them. And if you’re a Twilight fan, you already care: this is Cronenberg’s second film with Robert Pattinson, an unlikely acting-directing partnership that nonetheless feels very appropriate. This is also Sarah Gadon’s third feature with Cronenberg, and starring in a film about the entertainment industry seems fitting as the Canadian actress continues to find fame.

An unauthorized-for-distribution version of the red-band trailer is here.

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Previous Entries:

Tommy Lee Jones

Atom Egoyan

Bennett Miller

Xavier Dolan

The fourth in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: Canadian; born Montreal, Québec, Canada 1989.

Known for / style: I Killed My Mother (2009), Heartbeats (Les amours imaginaires) (2010), Laurence Anyways (2012), Tom at the Farm (Tom à la ferme) (2013); flamboyant, colorful, or otherwise florid images; writing his own films as well as acting in them; youthful explorations of love and the many facets of sexuality (including a multitude of LGBTQ themes); working in the romance and thriller genres.

Notable accolades: At only age 25, Canada’s wunderkind filmmaker has already harvested   a staggering amount of trophies from the international festival circuit. At Cannes, he’s picked up the Queer Palm (Laurence Anyways) and two “Regards Jeune” prizes (I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats). Dolan is a three-time Lumiere Award winner, a Venice FIPRESCI prize-winner (Tom at the Farm), and the owner of the TIFF 2012 Best Canadian Feature Film award (Laurence Anyways).

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Mommy, a French-language film that stars Anne Dorval (I Killed My Mother), Suzanne Clement (Laurence Anyways), Antoine-Olivier Pilon (Xavier Dolan’s short College Boy: Indochine), Alexandre Goyette (Laurence Anyways), and Patrick Huard (Starbuck). From the IMDb listing: “A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor inserts herself into their household.”

Previous Cannes appearances: Tom at the Farm is the only film that Dolan has not premiered at Cannes (it ventured to Venice instead). I Killed My Mother played the 2009 Director’s Fortnight program, with Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways later bowing in Un Certain Regard. Mommy is Dolan’s first Competition entry.

Could it win the Palme? When he was first making a name for himself, there was a period where Dolan was almost critically untouchable. His age, his directorial maturity, his themes—films like I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats were hard to ignore and obviously uniquely talented. He’s since found some critics to be less forgiving toward a filmmaker his age (more than a few reviews found 2012’s nearly three-hour sit Laurence Anyways to be “self-indulgent”), and because Dolan’s essentially making a feature every year, there’s not as much at stake if the jury’s not sweet on Mommy.  That being said, and while the novelty of his youth may have worn off, Dolan’s eye is consistently getting stronger: Tom at the Farm, for example, was listed as one of TIFF’s top ten Canadian films of 2013, and is commonly referred to as “Hitchcockian.” Artistically (and knowing what a stereotypical Palme d’Or film looks or feels like), Mommy is possibly Canada’s best shot at gold: his cast is strong and his themes are proven successful (if the titles are any indication, seeing I Killed My Mother prior to this film would be relevant).

Why you should care: Details surrounding this film are relatively scarce, and there isn’t yet a trailer to preview. But take a peek at the filmography of the entire cast and you’ll see that the Mommy collective are all alumni of Dolan’s films, which is both reassuring and exciting at the same time. If you’re unfamiliar with the staggering industry that is Québecois cinema, the work of Xavier Dolan is certainly an excellent contemporary starting point. Mommy, especially, features some of the best actors working in the province today, and they’re all rejoining Dolan for another go.

Xavier Dolan talks career with Strombo.

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter:  @Jake_Howell

Previous Entries:

Tommy Lee Jones

Atom Egoyan

Bennett Miller

The third in a series of snapshots outlining the nineteen directors in the 67th Palme d’Or Competition.

Background: U.S.; born New York City, New York 1966.

Known for / style: The Cruise (1998), Capote (2005), Moneyball (2011); directing commercials, music videos, and documentary works in addition to dramatic narratives; a small but varied filmography of nonfiction and biographical adaptations; a naturalistic approach to filmmaking.

Notable accolades: Miller’s most successful film is Capote, which landed an Academy Award nomination for Best Director in 2006 (Capote), a pair of Best First Feature wins from two separate critics societies (Toronto and New York), and a BAFTA nomination for Best Direction. Moneyball was also nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Editing, Sound Mixing, and Adapted Screenplay.

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: Foxcatcher, a film Miller has been trying to produce since 2007. Dramatizing true events behind John Eleuthère du Pont’s bizarre murder of Olympic champion Dave Schultz, and based on an autobiography by Schultz’ brother Mark, the film features Steve Carell (du Pont), Mark Ruffalo (Dave Schultz), and Channing Tatum (Mark Schultz). Additional cast includes Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Michael Hall, and Sienna Miller in supporting roles.

Previous Cannes appearances: Miller’s films have played many major festivals, but never Cannes.

Could it win the Palme? It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but there are many indications that Foxcatcher is going to be something good. For starters: Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures, the production company behind the film, is responsible for some of the most respected titles in recent years, and Miller has again drafted screenwriter and high school friend Dan Futterman (Capote) to help pen the script. A mooted release postponed from Christmas suggests time was taken to finish the film properly. The filmmaker can also boast the achievement of directing four actors to Oscar nominations (Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill for Moneyball; Catherine Keener and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote, eventual winner of the prize), so the festival’s acting trophies could very possibly find a home here. Additionally, Oscar-winning composer Mychael Danna (Life of Pi) scored. The tone of the film is sensitive, could invoke strong reactions, and all the production’s moving parts have very impressive résumés.

Why you should care: Working outside his comfort zone of comedy, it’s immediately clear that Steve Carell underwent a major transformation to play John du Pont, and prior to shooting the film in 2012, Channing Tatum stated Foxcatcher would be “the hardest acting challenge [he’s] had to date.” This is a film Miller has been trying to make for many years, so we’ll finally get to see what’s been keeping his thoughts occupied. Bottom line, though: Bennett Miller is a heavyweight when it comes to nonfiction adaptations, so expect the film to be a major player both on the Croisette and later in the awards season, when it is released stateside November 14, 2014.

Follow Jake Howell on Twitter: @Jake_Howell

Previous Entries:

Tommy Lee Jones

Atom Egoyan

Background: Canadian; born Cairo, Egypt 1960.

Known for  / style: The Sweet Hereafter (1997),  Chloe (2009), Exotica (1994); directing plays and operas in addition to films; writing scripts in addition to adapting existing works; blurring the lines between truth and fiction; themes of alienation; working in the thriller genre; collaborating with cinematographer Paul Sarossy and often casting his wife, Arsinée Khanjian.

Notable accolades: The Sweet Hereafter is Egoyan’s most acclaimed picture, netting him two Academy Award nominations (Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay) and three Cannes trophies (the Grand Prix, FIPRESCI Prize, and the Ecumenical Jury Prize). Exotica took home an additional Cannes FIPRESCI Prize in 1994.  Egoyan is a multi-Genie winner, has won TIFF’s Best Canadian Feature Film prize three times (Exotica, 1991’s The Adjuster, and 1987’s Family Viewing) and is a member of the Order of Canada.

Film he’s bringing to Cannes: The Captive (formerly Queen of the Night), an original thriller by Egoyan and co-writer David Fraser, who was credited as a consultant on Egoyan’s Ararat. The plot, which, like the new title, sounds a lot like 2013’s Prisoners, follows  a father looking for his missing daughter in wintertime. Shot by Paul Sarossy, The Captive features Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman, Rosario Dawson, Mireille Enos, and a handful of Canadian acting regulars, including Bruce Greenwood.

Previous Cannes appearances: Cannes has given Egoyan a lot of love. In the Palme d’Or Competition, he has debuted Adoration (2008), Where the Truth Lies (2005), Felicia’s Journey (1999), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), and Exotica (1994). In parallel sections, he’s premiered Speaking Parts (1989), The Adjuster (1991), Ararat (2002), and contributed to 2007’s auteur anthology Chacun son Cinéma. Egoyan has also been on two Festival juries: once as President (2010’s Cinéfondation), and another as a member of the Competition jury. Egoyan sat on the jury when fellow Canadian David Cronenberg screened Crash (1996), and Egoyan screened Felicia’s Journey under the David Cronenberg-led jury in 1999. 2014 will see a repeat of 2005, where both Cronenberg (History of Violence) and Egoyan (Where the Truth Lies) pitched for the Palme d’Or simultaneously.

Could it win the Palme? With Jane Campion as President of the jury, Egoyan has an ally: her acclaimed 2013 detective miniseries Top of the Lake centered around a missing girl, and this thematic link could play in Egoyan’s favor. Still the film sounds dangerously similar to last year’s Prisoners (directed by fellow Canuck, the Québécois Dénis Villeneuve), which grossed $122 million worldwide, but won relatively little along the awards circuit. If it isn’t truly exceptional, it may be that The Captive never truly escapes this association, as Prisoners is still so recent. Yet the trailer for The Captive assures that the missing girl plot point may realistically be one of the only things the two films have in common.

Why you should care: While Egoyan’s West Memphis Three drama Devil’s Knot has not yet been released stateside, it was poorly received in Canada, earning a meager 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. But all signs show that Devil’s Knot seemed to be an impersonal project for Egoyan (the director was hired late in pre-production), who is back in the writing chair with The Captive. Everyone loves a comeback story, and the trailer for his latest film is enticing. Egoyan has come very close to winning the Palme d’Or before, and if he does, it will be Canada’s first.

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