Cannes 09. Lineup.

By David Hudson on 04/23/2009

[Updated through 4/28]

This entry's going to be an all-day project, so do come back and check for updates - information on the individual films, commentary on this or that, whatever's worth noting. Meantime, with the lineup for the Cannes Film Festival unleashed, Variety's John Hopewell has the most complete initial overview. "This year's Competition is heavy on European fare," he notes, "but the lightest Yank presence since 2006. Asia makes a strong showing."

The festival opens on May 13 with Pixar's "Up" (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, US) and closes on May 24 with "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky" (Jan Kounen," France), often described as a "rival" to "Coco avant Chanel," which, as noted, opened just yesterday in France. It isn't; "avant," starring Audrey Tatou, is a sweeping biopic, whereas "Igor" focuses on that single, eponymous episode.

At any rate, both the "Up" and "Igor" screen out of competition.

Competition:

"Bright Star," Jane Campion (Australia/UK/France).

Campion's first feature since 2003's "In the Cut" tells the story of the three-year romance between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Also stars Paul Schneider, Thomas Sangster and Kerry Fox.

"Spring Fever," Lou Ye (China/France).

A "new torrid tale of love" is about all I can find at the moment. You'll remember that Lou Ye ran into trouble with the Chinese government in 2006 over the cut of "Summer Palace" that screened in Cannes.

"Antichrist," Lars von Trier (Denmark/Sweden/France/Italy).

We know quite a lot about this one, as the blogs have been following what seems to have been an on-again/off-again production for some time. In short, Willem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg play a couple who've lost their child and go, where else, to the proverbial cabin in the woods. Where they naturally discover supernaturally scary things about how the world works. Wikipedia has more; and here's the official site with the trailer.

"Enter the Void," Gaspar Noé (France).

Small-time drug dealer Oscar (Nathaniel Brown) and his stripper sister Linda (Paz de la Huerta) eek out a living in Tokyo. During a police raid, Oscar's shot - but, faithful to a promise he's made to his sister, his spirit refuses to give up, that is, actually leave this world for the next, and so, wanders the city suffering chaotic and nightmarish visions. Maybe like the poster, for example.

"Face" ("Visages"), Tsai Ming-liang (France/Taiwan/Netherlands/Belgium).

A young Chinese filmmaker (regular Tsai stand-in Lee Kang-Sheng) stages a musical based on the story of Salomé - in the Louvre. Sounds like a spectacular production, but evidently, all does not go well. Features a handful of bastions of French cinema: Laetitia Casta, Fanny Ardant, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jeanne Moreau, Mathieu Amalric, Nathalie Baye...

"Les ferbes folles" ("Wild Reeds") Alain Resnais (France/Italy).

"As expected, the director has put together a distinguished cast that includes his usual collaborators Sabine Azéma and André Dussollier (who are making their ninth and seventh feature with Resnais respectively) as well as Michel Vuillermoz ('Private Fears in Public Places') and newcomers to Resnais' films: Emmanuelle Devos, Anne Consigny and Mathieu Amalric," reports Fabien Lemercier at Cineuropa. "For the first time in his career, Resnais - who co-wrote the screenplay with Laurent Herbiet - has adapted a novel for the big screen. 'Les herbes folles' is based on Christian Gailly's 'L'incident' and retraces the encounter between a dentist and amateur pilot (Azéma) whose bag is snatched and its contents thrown across a car park, and a solitary man with a troubled past (Dussollier) who retrieves her wallet."

"In the Beginning," Xavier Giannoli (France).

A small-time crook takes advantage of an entire region of present-day France in a scheme involving the construction of a new highway. Then he meets the lovely mayor of a town in his way. Far as I can tell. Corrections welcome. Stars Gérard Depardieu, François Cluzet and Emmanuelle Devos.

"A Prophet," Jacques Audiard (France).

At the age of 18, the illiterate Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is sentenced to six years in a prison ruled, for all practical purposes, by a gang of Corsican prisoners.

"The White Ribbon," Michael Haneke (Germany/Austria/France).

The story of a teacher and church choir director in a small Protestant town in northern Germany on the eve of WWI who suddenly faces an onset of bizarre, ritualistic incidents. Stars Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Tukur, Josef Bierbichler and Michael Schenk. Cineuropa's Bénédicte Prot has more.

"Vengeance," Johnnie To (Hong Kong/France/US).

"A father comes to Hong Kong to avenge his daughter, whose family was murdered. Officially, he's a chef. Twenty years ago, he was a killer." That's the story. The twist is that the killer chef is played by Johnny Hallyday. Also stars Sylvie Testud, Simon Yam, Anthony Wong, Lam Suet, Lam Ka-Tung, Maggie Siu, Cheung Siu-Fai and Michelle Ye. Wikipedia has more; the site has the trailer.

"The Time That Remains," Elia Suleiman (Israel/France/Belgium/Italy).

"An examination of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 through to the present day," according to the IMDb. Suleiman won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2002 for "Divine Intervention."

"Vincere," Marco Bellocchio (Italy/France).

Again, the IMDb: "The story of Mussolini's secret lover, Ida Dalser, and their son Albino." Bellocchio's a Cannes regular; for more on the director, see Richard Peña's piece for Film Reference.

"Kinatay," Brillante Mendoza (Philippines).

"Previously titled 'Chop Chop,' this film is based on victims whose body parts have been chopped off and mutilated by killers," reports Jocelyn Dimaculangan for the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP). Brillante Mendoza was at Cannes just last year with "Serbis."

"Thirst," Park Chan-wook (South Korea/US).

A priest is accidentally turned into a vampire. "Twilight" it ain't. Here's the trailer. The IMDb points to several news items and, a must-see for Park fans, a CNN report on the film's making.

"Broken Embraces," Pedro Almodóvar (Spain).

I gathered a handful of reviews when the film opened in Spain. As Barry Byrne put it for Screen, "the storyline casts a particularly gorgeous [Penélope] Cruz as an actress struggling to escape the suffocating constraints of the aging millionaire lover who has bankrolled her career."

"Map of the Sounds of Tokyo," Isabel Coixet (Spain).

"Coixet follows up 'Elegy' with this dual-identity dramatic thriller that centers on a fish-market employee who doubles as a contract killer," noted indieWIRE a few weeks back when they were writing their Cannes wish list. "Rinko Kikuchi and Sergi López star."

"Fish Tank," Andrea Arnold (UK/Netherlands).

"'Fish Tank' is the story of Mia (Katie Jarvis), a volatile 15-year-old, who is always in trouble and who has become excluded from school and ostracized by her friends," reads a BBC press release (with lots more info, too). "One hot summer's day her mother (Kierston Wareing) brings home a mysterious stranger called Connor (Michael Fassbender), who promises to change everything and bring love into all their lives."

"Looking for Eric," Ken Loach (UK/France/Belgium/Italy).

"A magical, social realist film about a football fanatic postman on the verge of a nervous breakdown who finds a very special life coach in the guise of his hero, Eric Cantona." That's the official synopsis. I highly recommend Robert Chalmers's recent dual profile of Loach and Cantona for the Independent.

"Inglourious Basterds," Quentin Tarantino (US).

What don't you already know? Brad Pitt wants Nazi scalps. More seriously (I guess), this "spaghetti-western with World War II iconography" was inspired by Enzo Castellari's original "Inglorious Bastards," but will surely deviate considerably. Wikipedia has much, much more; the site's got the trailer.

"Taking Woodstock," Ang Lee (US).

Based on Elliot Tiber's autobiography, this is the story, according to Wikipedia, of "an aspiring Greenwich Village interior designer whose parents owned a small motel in Upstate New York and, at the time, held the only musical festival permit in the entire town of Bethel, New York. Tiber offered both the Catskills motel and the permit to the Woodstock Festival's organizers." And the rest is... Anyway, stars Demetri Martin as Tiber, Liev Schreiber, Paul Dano, Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton and the list rolls on.

Out of Competition

"Agora," Alejandro Amenábar (Spain/US).

From the IMDb: "A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hopes of pursuing freedom while also falling in love with his master, the famous female philosophy professor and atheist Hypatia of Alexandria." With Rachel Weisz and Max Minghella. Twitch has the trailer.

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," Terry Gilliam (Canada/France).

Like it or not, it'll always be known as Heath Ledger's really last film. When he died in the middle of production, Gilliam went back to the screenplay and reworked it so that Ledger's role could be taken on by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. In other words, this Tony character is something of a shape-shifter. Like "Antichrist," the Devil is involved; unlike "Antichrist," the Devil is played by Tom Waits. Learn more at Wikipedia. The Gilliam fan site Dreams has video and more, too.

"L'armée du crime" ("The Army of Crime"), Robert Guédiguian (France).

From what I can tell, this is the story of a group of Resistors prosecuted by the Vichy government who became heroes once France was liberated. With Simon Abkarian, Virginie Ledoyen and Robinson Stévenin.

Un Certain Regard

"À Deriva" ("Adrift"), Heitor Dhalia (Brazil).

Just as she's beginning to awaken to her own sexuality, a 14-year-old girl discovers her father's infidelity. Says Zoom. With Camilla Belle and Vincent Cassel.

"Air Doll," Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan).

According to lunapark6, the film "has the unusual premise of Du-na Bae playing an inflatable air doll that magically comes to life one day. She then takes a walk outside and eventually winds up entering a video rental store. There she spots a young man named Junichi (played by Arata) and falls in love." Nippon Cinema has some making-of footage.

"Demain des l'aube" ("Tomorrow from Dawn"), Denis Dercourt (France).

A mother asks Matthew to help her free his little brother Paul from his obsession with historic battles. (Evene)

"Dogtooth," Yorgos Lanthimos (Greece).

All I can come up with for now, I'm afraid, are the IMDb pages for Lanthimos and his previous feature, "Kinetta" (2005).

"Eyes Wide Open," Haim Tabakman (Israel/Germany).

A gay love story set in Jerusalem. The German television broadcaster ZDF calls it a "'Brokeback Mountain' in the orthodox Jewish community." Their words, not mine.

"Independence," Raya Martin (Philippines).

"This period film tells the story of a mother and son who run off to the mountains during the American occupation," reports Jocelyn Dimaculangan for PEP. "Raya also took part in the 61st edition of Cannes when his four-hour 40-minute film, 'Now Showing,' was accepted for screening at the Director's Fortnight."

"Irene," Alain Cavalier (France).

"Irene"...? Well, that was the name of Cavalier's second wife, the actress with whom he made two films, "Mise à sac" (1967) and "La chamade" (1968). But does that really have anything to do with this film? No idea. Meantime, Sujewa Ekanayake points to a 2007 Dissidenz interview with Cavalier.

"Mother," Bong Joon-ho (South Korea).

"The film tells the story of a mother desperately searches for the killer that framed her son for their horrific murder," notes Peter Sciretta at /film. Trailer's at the site.

"Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats," Bahman Ghobadi (Iran).

Ghobadi's been in the news recently for far less celebratory reasons that having his latest film screen at Cannes. Nonetheless, as Nancy Tartaglione reports for Screen, as Thierry Fremaux unveiled the lineup today, he "hinted that Cannes audiences will be in for a surprise with Bahman Ghobadi's 'Nobody Knows About The Persian Cats,' which includes a lesson in Iranian rap songs for the uninitiated."

"Nymph," Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Thailand).

We're told that it will be some sort of supernatural drama - though apparently he's resisting applying the 'horror' tag to it - but beyond that details are pretty much non-existent," wrote Todd Brown at Twitch in February.

"Le père de mes enfants," Mia Hansen-Love (France/Germany).

Inspired by the life of producer Humbert Balsan and the impact his suicide has had on his family.

"Politist, Adjectiv," Corneliu Porumboiu (Romania).

From 42kmfilm: "Cristi is a policeman who refuses to arrest a young man who offers hashish to two of his school mates. 'Offering' is punished by the law. Cristi believes that the law will change, he does not want the life of a young man he considers irresponsible to be a burden on his conscience. For his superior, though, he word conscience has a totally different meaning..."

"Precious," Lee Daniels (US).

This is "Push" renamed, and here are the reviews from Sundance.

"Samson and Delilah," Warwick Thornton (Australia).

"[A]n early contender for best Australian film of 2009," declares Matt Riviera of this film set in "a small isolated Warlpiri community in the Central Australian desert... Beyond its undeniable worth as a piece of top-notch filmmaking, 'Samson and Delilah's' value also resides in its ability to share with a wide audience, and in a language we can all understand, a largely untold story steeped in the painful truth of this country's bloody history."

"The Silent Army," Jean van de Velde (Netherlands).

Can't seem to find anything on this new one; meantime, here's Jean van de Velde's bio for the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

"Tales from the Golden Age," Hanno Höfer, Razvan Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu, Ioanna Uricaru (Romania).

From Cineuropa: "An unconventional personal history of the late communist period in Romania, told through its urban myths from the perspective of ordinary people. Comic, bizarre, surprising, these myths drew on the often surreal events of everyday life under the communist regime."

"Tale in the Darkness," Nikolay Khomeriki (Russia).

Nothing yet on this "Tale," but Khomeriki has "become a Cannes regular," notes TV-Novosti. "It's the third time his movies have been selected at the festival. In 2005 and 2006, the director was praised for his intellectual approach to cinema and won accolades from film critics and the jury."

"Tzar," Pavel Lounguine (Russia).

A "drama about one of Russia's most controversial tsars, Ivan the Terrible," notes TV-Novosti. "In 1990, Pavel Lungin was named 'Best Director' [at Cannes] for his drama 'Taxi-Blues.'"

"Los Viajes del Viento," Ciro Guerra (Colombia).

"Ignacio Carrillo travelled all his life throughout the villages and regions of northern Colombia, carrying music and traditional songs on his accordion, a legendary instrument that is said to be cursed, because it once belonged to the devil. As he became older, he got married and settled with his wife in a small town, leaving his nomadic life behind. When she suddenly dies, he decides to make one last journey to the Northern edge of the country, to return the accordion to the man who gave it to him, his teacher and mentor, so he will never play it again...." From the synopsis at the site, where you can also watch the trailer.

"Morrer Como um Homem," João Pedro Rodrigues (Portugal).

The film "follows Tonia, a transvestite who tries to progressively erase all traces of her original male identity," reports Vitor Pinto at Cineuropa. "The transformation is nevertheless incomplete and she will die tragically and like a man, as states the name on her headstone."

Midnight Screenings

"Panique au village" ("A Town Called Panic"), Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar (Belgium).

This really does seem to be what they're screening. I think.

"Drag Me to Hell," Sam Raimi (US).

An almost-ready print was screened at SXSW and I gathered the generally enthusiastic reactions here.

"Ne te retourne pas" ("Don't Come Back"), Marina de Van (Belgium/France/Italy/Luxembourg).

From the IMDb: "A psychodrama about a photographer whose pictures tell a different story to that of her perception." With Monica Bellucci and Sophie Marceau.

Special Screenings

"My Neighbor, My Killer," Anne Aghion (US).

Aghion has spent ten years following the "Gacaca," open-air hearings with citizen-judges to try those guilty in the attempted genocide in Rwanda for the purposes of reconciliation and rebuilding the nation.

"Manila," Adolfo Alix, Jr and Raya Martin (Philippines).

"Matinee idol Piolo Pascual starred in and produced this twin-bill film," reports Jocelyn Dimaculangan for PEP. "He appears in the two episodes 'inspired' by Ishmael Bernal's 1980 movie 'Manila By Night' and Lino Brocka's 1979 film 'Jaguar (slang for security guard). 'Manila' also stars Rosanna Roces (who plays Piolo's mother in the film).

"Min Ye," Souleymane Cissé (Mali).

Not much has been heard from Malian director Souleymane Cissé since 1995 ("Waati"), but "Min Ye" seems to have begun in August 2007 as a television series: ten episodes, 13 minutes each. Here's a full report - in French.

"L'épine dans le coeur," Michel Gondry (France).

A documentary, evidently. But documenting what?

"Petition," Zhao Liang (China).

The title given in French is "La Cour des plaignants" ("The Court of Complaints").

"Kalat Hayam" ("Jaffa"), Keren Yedaya (France/Germany/Israel).

The synopsis from rohfilm: "Mali and her family live in Jaffa, where they own a garage. Taufik and his father Hasan work for them. The relationship between the Jewish owners and the Arab workers is supposedly good but under the surface other emotions bustle. Mali and Taufik have been having a stormy affair for several months now that seems to have come naturally. They keep the forbidden affair a secret and very much fear the reaction of their families. When Mali accidentally gets pregnant, they must act."

Updates: The Commentary

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw notes that those who comment on blog "understandably get exasperated at the silliness of commenting on unseen films, and yet it is somehow their unseen-ness which is so seductive at this stage. This list is also a fierce, annual assertion of the power of Jacob and Frémaux: they choose the films and also handpick the jurors who will make the prize-giving decisions, so they must have a very shrewd idea where the awards will go in the end. Like God, they allow their festivaliers free will, but are omnipresent at the final judgment."

More from Xan Brooks: "'British film is flying right now,' John Woodward, chief executive of the UK Film Council, said today. 'This year's Cannes lineup shows that the British industry is delivering world-class cinema which complements the kind of commercial success that was recognised at the Oscars earlier this year.'"

"The real question at Cannes (and in world film) isn't how many French films made it; it's what they represent." Another fine piece from Vadim Rizov at GreenCine Daily.

IndieWIRE runs the speech Cannes President Brian Brooks">Gilles Jacob gave at the press conference announcing the Official Selection and Eric Kohn notes that he "revealed that participating filmmakers would have a new opportunity to take advantage of the festival's website."

Mike Jones is "upset to see no Werner Herzog-flavored 'Bad Lieutenant' with Nic Cage in the midnight section."

Updates, 4/24: Good Lord, he's right: "[F]or better or worse, the Palais will be the site of a bloodbath this year," writes Robert Koehler at filmjourney.org. "There will be a whole lot of killers stalking around the lineup that Thierry Fremaux and Gilles Jabob have constructed."

"New Romanian cinema gains further impetus with Corneliu Porumboiu's cerebral non-thriller 'Police, Adjective,'" writes Jay Weissberg in Variety. "With his 2006 Camera d'Or winner, '12:08 East of Bucharest,' Porumboiu established himself as a witty writer-helmer with a superb ear for dialogue and an interest in the broader ramifications of truth. His follow-up, about a contempo cop's unwilling surveillance of a teen suspected of selling pot, takes things further, aiming a laser-sharp intellect and a deeply considered understanding of language at themes of authority and the residue of totalitarianism."

"It's ludicrously early to tip any one film for the Palme d'Or," admits Dave Calhoun, "but if I was forced to put my money on something, I'd go for Haneke and his 'The White Ribbon.'"

Update, 4/25: At Ioncinema, Eric Lavallee's found art director Guta Carvalho's photos from Heitor Dhalia's "Adrift" as well as a few images from "Tales from the Golden Age."

Update, 4/27: Kathy Marks reports in the Independent on the awards and critical cheers "Samson and Delilah" is rousing: "The Age in Melbourne described Thornton's film as 'a film of delicate simplicity and gut-wrenching power,' while another critic said it was 'one of the bravest Australian films I've ever seen.' Variety magazine called the movie 'an engrossing and touching snapshot of an Australia too often left on the cutting-room floor.'"

Updates, 4/28: Todd Brown's got a second trailer for Bong Joon-ho's "Mother" at Twitch.

The Playlist has images from and a bit more about Haneke's "White Ribbon," Campion's "Bright Star" and Noé's "Enter the Void."

Tags: Cannes 2009