I’ve seen two films so far today (The Golden Age of Romania: pretty good; Antichrist: don’t know – I had my hands over my eyes) with two more to come (full reviews soon) but I thought I’d do a quick update on the festival buzz so far. That’s one of the other things about the parties – they’re a good way of keeping tabs on the mood of the public, any hidden gems you might otherwise have missed, or turkeys you might have wasted valuable time on.
So far, my overall impression of the festival is that people are enthused by the standard, if not as gob smacked as they might have secretly hoped to be. The line-up this year was awe-inspiring – and there’s still Haneke’s White Ribbon and Tarantino’s Basterds to come (which, it must be said, have got people excited for different reasons – Haneke is many people’s tip for the top prize; while Tarantino is bound to raise the temperature on the Croisette. Which, now I think about it, is the last thing a pasty English chump like me needs).
So far, Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank is the In Competition film that has got people talking. So much more than another slice of social realism, it’s also promising to make Michael Fassbender even more of a hot property. Looking for Eric got a standing ovation all the way through the closing credits. I reckon that if the powers that be decide that Andrea Arnold isn’t ready for a Palme d’Or yet and the Haneke disappoints, Ken Loach is a good punt for a surprise win.
Conversely, I went into Antichrist with lowered expectations after a very cool vibe greeted its premiere on Monday; and even more surprisingly, Almodovar’s Broken Embraces came to Cannes trailing a lukewarm response from London sneaks – and seems to have totally fallen out of the race.
For my part, I’m ignoring most of the In Competition stuff in favour of Un Certain Regard, in the hopes of finding an unacknowledged masterpiece. None yet, but there’s still plenty of time left to go.
