CANNES REVIEWS IN BRIEF
Holy Motors Dir/scr: Leos Carax. Fr-Ger. 2012. 115mins Leos Carax, absent since 1999’s Pola X, makes up for lost time with the rambling, loopy Holy Motors. A metaphysical fugue in which a protean protagonist shape-shifts through shades of the human condition, Holy Motors will be acclaimed by some as a visionary masterpiece and dismissed by oth- ers as a derivative wallow in unfocused imagery. While it will divide audiences, the dearth of eccentricity in the market may make the film a desirable cult commodity. Jonathan Romney
CONTACT WILD BUNCH
www.wildbunch.biz
Cosmopolis Dir: David Cronenberg. Fr-Can. 2012. 108mins The cerebral postmodern novels of US writer Don DeLillo have so far proved immune to screen adaptation. It is easy to see why as we watch David Cronenberg’s arid stab at Cosmopolis, about a millionaire asset manager crossing New York in a limo to get a haircut as his investments plummet. The novelist’s mannered dialogue and shal- low characters, many of whom are simply mouthpieces for ideas, make for an anaemic viewing experience. Bankable Twilight star Robert Pattinson is fine in the main part: if his Eric Packer is a little cold, a touch robotic, then so is Cronenberg’s unapolo- getically stylised approach to the story. Lee Marshall
CONTACT KINOLOGY
www.kinology.com
Moonrise Kingdom Dir: Wes Anderson. US. 2012. 94mins The enchanting sweetness of Wes Ander- son’s 2009 animation, Fantastic Mr Fox, has been transplanted into his return to live- action film-making, Moonrise Kingdom. Those who complain Anderson makes the same twee comedy every time out will have plenty here to further their argument, but Anderson demonstrates the emotions are all there under the tightly controlled surface. The story follows pre-teen misfits Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) as they run away together, sparking a pursuit from Sam’s scout leader (Edward Norton), the town sheriff (Bruce Willis) and Suzy’s parents (Bill Murray, Frances McDormand). Tim Grierson
CONTACT FOCUS FEATURES
www.focusfeatures.com
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL Mud Dir/scr: Jeff Nichols. US. 2012. 130mins
A conventional narrative may have been a rarity in Cannes Competition this year, but Jeff Nichols’ Mud makes no apologies for its classic storytell- ing. A confident, nuanced, coming-of-age story which is part Huckleberry Finn, part Badlands, the film is another illustration that Nichols is one of the most assured US auteurs at work today. A long running time and a slow-burning pace
might be considered commercial restrictions here, but the critical response and word-of-mouth should be strong and the name cast led by Mat- thew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon will only enhance box-office chances. It is a film for adults, and yet, like Twain or To Kill A Mockingbird, it is devoid of bad language or excessive violence and could, one day, become a family perennial. Set in Arkansas on the banks of the Missis-
sippi, Mud is essentially the story of 14-year-old Ellis (Tye Sheridan), a plucky young man who lives on a houseboat with his bickering parents. One day, he and his best friend Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) set out to an island on the river to explore the spectacle of a boat suspended high in the trees from some past flood. They discover somebody has been living in the boat and soon meet the culprit, Mud (McConaughey), a grimy, superstitious man in need of food and a wash.
n 60 Screen International June-July 2012 While they bring him supplies, they also dis-
cover he is a fugitive from justice, wanted for the murder of a man who had beaten Mud’s longtime girlfriend, Juniper (Witherspoon), with whom he is now planning to run away. Ellis, who is himself enjoying the first fruits of
romance with a local girl, and at the same time reel- ing from the announcement his parents are sepa- rating, becomes enamoured of the romantic story of Mud and Juniper, and helps Mud bring down the boat from the tree and make it operational so the lovers can escape down-river to Mexico. Nichols tells his particular story with elegance,
wit and poignancy and never condescends to the boys, who are both spunky and smart. He also elic- its a fine performance from Tye Sheridan as Ellis whose confusion with the realities of adult romance and the world of girls rings painfully true. The influence of Terrence Malick is writ large
in Mud, as well as David Gordon Green’s Under- tow, which Malick produced. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Malick’s producer Sarah Green is also a producer on Mud.
Mike Goodridge
CONTACT FILMNATION
www.wearefilmnation.com
www.screendaily.com
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