3 Days in Cannes: Day 2

After sprawling out on a Mediterranean beach until the wee hours of the early morning drinking cheap wine with great company, our journey through Cannes continued with an early morning screening of the new Terrence Malick film, A Hidden Live. At least, it should have. The film gods had something else in store for my early morning screening. 

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Chambre 212 (On a Magical Night)

Chambre 212 (2019): After 20 years of marriage, Maria decides to leave. She moves to the room 212 of the hotel opposite her marital home. From there, Maria can scrutinize her apartment, her husband, her wedding. She wonders if she has made the right decision.

​So before I talk about this film, let me set the scene for you: I'm exhausted. It's before 8 AM, and I'm about to head into a 3 hour Terrence Malick film. I, like any rational human being, need coffee. So, I go to a cafe while my friend / Cannes roommate Ben waits in line for A Hidden Life. Unexpectedly, the organizers let those waiting for the Malick film in a full 45 minutes before the film was scheduled to begin. (Usually, the festival would be "on time" if it let people queuing into a film 15 minutes before it starts.) I miss my friend Ben by less than 60 seconds. Then, the theater filled up 5 people in front of me. I am shook. In my dejected state, with no Malick in my future, I search the Cannes program for a film to watch in its stead, and stumble upon Chambre 212. And I'm glad I did.

This lovely little French film comes from director Christophe Honoré, an established Frenchman most recognized for 2018's Sorry Angel, and, while I haven't seen that film, this one is incredibly funny and touching. A wonderful little date night film, Chambre 212 follows a married couple as they struggle through the strains of marriage after the husband discovers the wife has been cheating on him. The film takes place over a single night, with Christmas Carol-esque visions coming to both characters throughout the brisk 86 minute runtime. The story is a clever one, so despite each character coping with the trauma in their own way, the characters involved feel small and intimate. (Thanks to the fact that their stories often overlap.) There are some antics and hijinks, and physics are thrown completely out the window, (so expect nothing) as the film flies through its setpieces. It's one of those films that you thoroughly enjoy while it's playing, but the second it's done you forget about it because it's not saying much that's particularly resonating. But that's ok! It makes you feel good, while not also trying to be "important"! (Cough cough, GREEN BOOK) The film really lacks an overall cohesive message as the tone is somewhat inconsistent. And there's entirely too much drama between the visions each have, which is cute but adds little to the overall narrative. Which, coincidentally, sums up Chambre 212: very cute, but doing little to resonate as soon as it's over.

My Number 7/10

Some of my fellow accreditation members!

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Il Traditore (The Traitor)

Il Traditore (2019): The real life of Tommaso Buscetta the so called "boss of the two worlds", first mafia informant in Sicily 1980's.

Woof. Then there's this film from legendary Italian director Marco Bellocchino. A film which plays very differently for Italian audiences, but sadly for a lowly American such as myself…. It was 145 minutes of nothing. 145 minutes of frustrating inconsistency. The film finds its stride in the second act, as the main protagonist Tommaso Buscetta (Pierfrancesco Favino) faces a serious of high production budget court battles and actor Favino really hits his stride. However, there also a first and third act. And both of them are like a clusterbomb of incoherency. The first act in particular features some of the worst editing I've ever seen, (Bohemian Rhapsody ain't got nothing on this) with random characters being introduced and then killed moments later with no rhyme, reason, or explanation. Yes, I'm just as tired of films that hand fist dialogue to you as the next person, but there's still a line somewhere. A line this film flies by within the first 5 minutes. I'd love to see someone count up how many characters were introduced and killed in the first act because the answer may be over 9000. But, there are some engaging court scenes here in the remaining two acts. A bright spot in an otherwise dark cloud of a film, and for us American plebians who don't truly appreciate the character and trial scenes at hand, there won't be much here to keep you engaged. Solid pass.

My Number: 4/10

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The Lighthouse​

The Lighthouse (2019): The story of an aging lighthouse keeper named Old who lives in early 20th-century Maine.

So I really wanted to sit with this film, so I’m actually writing this review over a week later. The fact that this film has resonated with me as much as it has is yet another testament to how strong it really is!

The latest (and greatest) work from director Robert Eggers (who’s first work, The Witch, also garnered widespread critical acclaim) comes in the form of a crazy, mesmerizing, polarizing 35 mm film, in black & white, with a 1.19:1 movetone aspect ratio starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. Because how else are you going to follow up a film about a 17th century New Englad folktale? The Lighthouse is a wild ride - a fascinating character study wrapped up in a psychological thriller - that needs to be seen to be believed. I really don’t want to talk about any of the inner workings of this film, because the less you know about it going in, the better it will be. I’ll just say there’s no doubt this will be a polarizing film - A24 snatched it up and is gearing it up for an awards season release, and I can see why. This film lives and dies off the performances of Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) and Ephraim Winslow. (Robert Pattinson) Their hilariously bipolar relationship is the foundation of this film. Dafoe sports one of the thickest sea-worthy accents you’ll ever hear, (further cementing him as one of the best character actors alive) while Pattinson’s near demonic presence can be felt regardless of whether he’s actually on screen or not. Both of these performances are a masterclass, and the events that unfold between them are not only memorable and iconic, (the freaking seagull, man) they vary wildly across the emotional spectrum. The strongest part of this film (and what will also be the most polarizing aspect of it) is its unpredictability - even as the credits roll the viewer will struggle to discern what was real and what was a figment of the mind. But it really is wildly refreshing to see a film of this ambiguity be made in the American cinema system, and it firmly establishes Robert Eggers as one of the most intellectual and cunning directors in Hollywood today.

My Number: 9.5/10

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Our group queuing for The Lighthouse. at the Director's Fortnight We waited nearly 3 hours to see this incredible film!

With two days under our belt, we once again celebrated by drinking cheap wine on one of Cannes's beautiful Mediterranean beaches. Not a bad way to wind down, right? On to the final day, which coincided with the final day of the festival itself.