Towards the end of the festival

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

More films in competition, on this tenth day of the 76th Cannes Film Festival. and yet, alongside important names such as Wim Wenders and Catherine Breillat, there were also other important authors – besides, obviously, to first-time directors – to have presented their works on the Croisette. Below, therefore, some of the main novelties of Cannes 76.

COMPETITION

LAST SUMMER by Catherine BREILLAT

A prominent lawyer jeopardizes his career and threatens to destroy his family by having an affair with his 17-year-old stepson. Luigi Noera saw it for us (REVIEW).

PERFECT DAYS di Wim WENDERS

Hirayama works as a cleaner in Tokyo's public toilets. He lives a simple life and a very structured daily routine. He has a passion for music, books and trees, who loves to photograph. His past is about to resurface through unexpected encounters. A moving and poetic reflection on the search for beauty in everyday life. Luigi Noera saw it for us (REVIEW).

IN SOME PERSPECTIVE

NOTHING TO LOSE by Delphine DELOGET

Sylvie lives in Brest with her two children, Sofiane and Jean-Jacques. Together they form a close-knit family. One evening, Sofiane is injured while alone in the apartment and her mother is at work. A complaint is made and Sofiane is placed in an institution. Armed with a lawyer, of his brothers and the love of his children, Sylvie is sure she is stronger than the administrative and legal machinery… Luigi Noera saw it for us (REVIEW).

FORTNIGHT

IN OUR DAY di Hong Sang-soo

It is still a pleasure for the eyes, see a film by Hong Sangsoo on the big screen. Already, because, in fact, the famous South Korean director has been giving us precious moments of pure contemplation for years, also carrying out important reflections on life, about art, about beauty. The same goes for In our Day, his latest, as well as closing film of the fortnight of the Filmmakers of Cannes 76.

Shot indoors only, the film shows us two conversations in parallel: the one between a successful actress and a friend of hers who would like to take the same path as her and the one between an elderly poet (who tries in every way to stop drinking and smoking) and a young admirer of his.

The words follow one after the other. A particularly greedy cat gives everything a touch of lightness. A simple and essential directorial approach is the absolute protagonist. Hong Sangsoo is not afraid to take his time and playing more and more with subtraction continues the trend that has been characterizing his feature films for several years now. E, therefore, perhaps this is precisely the only problem of the present In our Day: the strong, very strong resemblance to many other works by the author.

A little bad, But. Because, in fact, what we are facing is undoubtedly an extremely poetic and refined feature film, of those who, at the end of the vision, they are good for the spirit.

ACID

NOME is Healing And N’Hada

The independent section ACID of the Festival of Cannes, often gives us interesting surprises. One of these, eg, is Name, the closing film, created by Sana Na N'Hada.

We are located in Guinea, in 1969. Name, therefore, the protagonist of the story is also called, a young fighter who, during the war for the independence of Guinea and Cape Verde against Portugal, he will do everything for the good of his nation. In parallel, we are shown his family affairs concerning his young wife and his mother, who have remained in their village in the meantime.

Name it is undoubtedly a sincere and genuine film. A film born of good intentions, that, however, suffers a lot from a lack of experience behind the camera of the director himself. Immediately, indeed, we notice how the entire feature film, also from a writing point of view, is at times excessively frayed and tends dangerously to lose pace. If we combine all this with scenes that refer, even if only covertly, to the supernatural made in a false way and directed at times excessively clumsy, here, Unfortunately, the entire feature ends irretrievably losing several points. Sin. We'll have to see, anyway, what the director will have to give us in the future.

__________________________________________________________________

marina fears