Variety of approaches

(from Cannes Luigi Noera and Marina Pavido – Photos are courtesy of the Cannes Film Festival)

On the third day of Cannes 76 the films presented stood out above all for a great variety of themes and directorial approaches adopted. Between some disappointments and some pleasant surprises, here are some of the feature films presented on the Croisette.

COMPETITION

JEUNESSE at WANG Bing

The documentary examines the life of young Chinese workers working in the textile industry, in the city of Zhili, a 150 km da Shanghai. Luigi Noera saw it for us (REVIEW).

BLACK FLIES by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire

Big disappointment on the Croisette following viewing of Black Flies, directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire and in the running for the coveted Palme d'Or. Already, because, in fact, this long-awaited film has turned out, in reality, a very weak product, especially with regard to the entire narrative structure. But let's degrees.

Ollie (played by Tye Sheridan) is, therefore, a young paramedic living in New York who works closely with Rutkovsky (Sean Penn), a doctor with several years of experience behind him. In the streets (and for homes) of the Big Apple, especially at night, they come in all colors. Nevertheless, their work seems to be proceeding as planned, until a hiccup will jeopardize Rutkovsky's career.

For the topics covered, this feature film by Sauvaire would undoubtedly seem interesting. At least on paper. It's just a pity that it is, in reality, of a rather problematic film. Starting from the fact that for almost the entire first hour and a half the film seems to run dangerously empty, guided by a camera that faithfully follows the mad races and various encounters of the protagonists, too hesitant to get into the story. In the same way, in the very weak subplot dealing with the fledgling relationship between Ollie and a young single mother, it is not told, in reality, practically nothing, except for repetitive scenes of intimacy which, precisely because of their weary recurrence, at times take on involuntarily comic connotations.

Sin. Especially because, in fact, the present Black Flies He has some interesting ideas. The story I don't know, however, it is too sparse to be made into a feature film and inevitably ends up dragging on for about two hours until it reaches an ending, Unlike, excessively sudden.

IN SOME PERSPECTIVE

THE DELINQUENTS by Rodrigo MORENO

A pleasant surprise, within the section A certain Regard of this 76° Festival of Cannes, it was given to us by the feature film Los delinquents, directed by Argentine director Rodrigo Moreno. Characterized by a subtle and covertly surreal comedy, the feature film seems to want to refer to the theater of the absurd at times (just think, eg, that the characters' names are anagrams of each other), going deeper, at the same time, a never banal discourse on personal freedom and - last but not least - on cinema.

The story staged, therefore, is that of Roman and Moran, two bank employees feeling incredibly frustrated with their jobs. One day, in order to finally make a change in your life, Moran decides to steal a large sum of money from the bank vault which is equivalent to what the two would have earned throughout their careers. Roman becomes his accomplice and, when Moran is arrested, he will have the task of guarding the money until his friend is released from prison.

during that period, however, all sorts of things will happen and Roman will also have the opportunity to meet – and fall in love with – the beautiful Norma, met by chance in a village not far from Buenos Aires, where his friend had hidden the money.

Los delinquents, therefore, first of all he enjoys experimenting with new narrative structures. Divided in two parts, in the first the film focuses mainly on the theft and the character of Moran, while in the second we witness the vicissitudes of Roman, to his meeting with the beautiful Norma and also to a long flashback that concerns his friend Moran again. In staging all of this, Rodrigo Moreno was not afraid to take his time, giving the entire feature a rather placid and contemplative flow, with suggestive expanses of greenery that are treated as real characters, small amateur film crews recording ambient sounds on the mountains and movie theaters in which (ri)see great classics of the past.

Los delinquents it is all of this and in its apparent simplicity it has proved to be a particularly witty film, intelligent, ironic and self-deprecating. A (not too much) small showpiece within the section A certain Regard of Cannes 76.

ROSALIE by Stéphanie DI Giusto

Rosalie is a young woman who lives in France 1870 and hiding a secret: from birth his face and body are covered in hair. She's what's called a bearded lady but she never wanted to be a vulgar carnival freak. For fear of being rejected, she has always had to shave. Until the day that Abel, owner of a bar full of debts, he marries her for her dowry without knowing her secret. Luigi Noera saw it for us (REVIEW).

FORTNIGHT

A PRINCE by Pierre Creton

For years now appreciated author, the French director Pierre Creton also has a past as a botanist and farmer and often, therefore, made his former profession to get prominent place in his feature films as well. Same goes, therefore, also for A Prince, his latest, premiered at Cannes 76 inside the fortnight of the Filmmakers.

In A Prince, therefore, we are told the story of a young man who leaves his home to go and attend a renowned school for gardeners. within that school, therefore, his sentimental education will also take place, thanks to the meeting with elderly teachers, students and expert gardeners.

With lightness and irony – conferring, at the same time, a precious symbolism and a refined care for images on the big screen – Pierre Creton, therefore, tells us a partly autobiographical story leaving, from time to time, that the characters themselves tell us about it and tell themselves. Within a predominantly male context, therefore, only a woman opens the narrative, to then give way to the real protagonists of the story. A staging, the present, undoubtedly extreme, which, however, thanks to shots taken mainly with a fixed camera and a photograph with tones tending towards blue, it proves to be particularly effective in giving the whole thing an almost surreal touch, that, thanks also to a particular and rigorous actor direction, it almost makes us think of Bertold Brecht's theater.

With this his A Prince, therefore, once again Pierre Creton did not disappoint even the demanding public of the Croisette.

CRITICS WEEK

Competition

God willing (Inshallah a boy) di Amjad Al Rasheed

It's not easy being a woman. Especially when you're suddenly alone and have a little girl to raise. The things, however, they could get even more complicated when you are threatened by family members for pure economic interests. Kwismas knows something about it (impersonated by Mouna Hawa), protagonist of the feature film Inshallah a Boy, directed by young Jordanian director Amjad Al Rasheed and premiered on the occasion of 76° Festival of Cannes inside the Week from the Critique.

Nawal, therefore, he is thirty years old and, already mother of a child, she dreams of having another child from her husband. When the latter, however, suddenly dies in his sleep, the woman finds herself completely alone and trying to get by for the sake of her daughter, her brothers-in-law blackmail her by claiming that, due to some debts of her late husband, they could take over his house. Unless the woman is already pregnant again.

Kwismas runs all day from one part of the city to another. It would seem that his problems can never be solved. The niece of one of his patients is pregnant and with a falsified pregnancy test could help her in court. But this will be the right way to go?

With Inshallah a Boy, Amjad Al Rasheed first of all wanted to denounce a system in which single women do not seem to enjoy any legal protection within a society in which habits and customs end up revealing themselves - unfortunately - still too obsolete. A tal fine, a rough realism proves to be the winning solution to stage the vicissitudes of the protagonist, made even more full of pathos on the big screen by intense close-ups and moments in which the silences – during sleepless nights, where the phone keeps ringing – they are worth a thousand words.

Anjad Al Rasheed staged all of this with grace and elegance, making this his Inshallah a Boy an intense and never banal feature film, in which, alongside so many misfortunes, it's never too late to hope for a better future.

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marina fears