3 Days in Cannes: Prelude

This year, I was fortunate enough to experience one of the oldest, most prestigious film festivals in the world in Cannes, France. I made the most of my trip, seeing 13 films both during my 3 day accreditation program, as well as the day before the accreditation began. This journal will chronicle the films I saw during those dizzying days, the highs and the lows, the good, the bad, and the downright bizarre. (But, for real.... Wounds, though.)

This entry chronicles the films I saw before my accreditation began. There is another film festival the runs simultaneous to Cannes, the Quinzaine, or Directors' Fortnight. We were fortunate enough to see a premier on our prelude day, as well as one of the craziest bad films you'll ever see. First on our journey, though, was a trip to the Olympia, (a cineplex in Cannes) to see the film that opened the festival.

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The Dead Don't Die​

The Dead Don't Die (2019): The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.

Jim Jarmusch opened the Cannes film festival with something of thud, as his latest film, a zombie apocalypse film with a deadpan delivery style that is funny to a fault. While the film certainly has some wonderful moments, particularly between Cliff (Bill Murray) and Ronnie. (Adam Driver) If anything should be taken from this film, Hollywood needs to do a Hobbs & Shaw kind of team-up between these two, as their hilarious chemistry was about the only thing keeping this film together. The rest of this movie lacks anything resembling a heart, as it feels like a mishmosh of characters (played by recognizable yet random actors like Steve Buscemi, Selena Gomez, Danny Glover, Tilda Swinton, and Tom Waits) thrown together with little cohesion or comprehension. Some of the jokes land, but when they don’t you will sit aimlessly, wondering when the film is going to come to an unceremonious end.

My Number: 4/10

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Wounds​

Wounds (2019): Disturbing and mysterious things begin to happen to a bartender in New Orleans after he picks up a phone left behind at his bar.

My first thought after seeing this film was simple. "What the F did I just watch and why did I love it so much?" A film that would make Tommy Wiseau (The Room) proud, Wounds is from director Babak Anvari (who opened the film and clearly didn't know what was going on, either) and somehow stars Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson, and Zazie Baetz. It has cult status written all over it, because this thing is absolutely ridiculous. Armie Hammer is screen chewing to no freaking end while Dakota Johnson is just sitting in the corner staring at a computer monitor for some unknown reason, (research!) and Zazie Baetz is just….. there. The film, similar to The Room, turns into an ironic comedy, and it turns out that's not a bad thing. The story is ridiculous, the acting is over-the-top, but I still had a total blast watching it. As I said: this film is destined for cult status if it rises above the noise on Netflix. It just might take a few years for people to recognize its unabashed greatness. Also, this is already becoming my most talked about film at this festival, despite its terribleness…. It's that good.

My Number: 1/10, but that's a The Room kind of 1/10

This just about sums up this film. I will never understand how these stars agreed to join this film

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Wounds director Babak Anvari tries to let us know what we're in for before the screening of his film

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Les Particules

Les Particules (2019): As winter sets in and P.A. sees the world shifting around him, he starts to observe strange phenomena in the environment. The changes are imperceptible at first, but gradually his whole world seems to be on the brink.

This is the first forray into fiction from documentary director Blaise Harrison. I open my thoughts with that because it shows. This film features a group of first time actors and at points they are definitely strained by the demands of the roles asked of them. The overall premise is wild: mix Minding the Gap with a science-fiction premise. The film is very scatterbrained and plays its unusual premise fast and loose, which certainly reduces the overall experience. That said, it's unorthodox and genuine, with every character feeling human and grounded. Even if it struggles to stay on topic at points, (and maybe this is simply the result of how few foreign films I've actually seen) its unusual visuals and storytelling style were enough to keep me entertained.

My Number: 3/10

The cast of Les Particules answer questions after the film's premiere

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Fortunately, the fun is just beginning. Now, we step into the big leagues with the first day of our journey.