Cannes Diary – Day 6

Monday in the world of cinema means holdovers, the day film bookings for the coming week need to be finalised with all the distributors. Unfortunately, this means fewer films would be seen today, maybe just four each instead of the usual six. Today was also shift change for a few of the Picturehouse gang, as those on good behaviour get to go home and some fresh blood gets off the boat.

In VILLA AMALIA Isabelle Huppert gives a typically characteristic performance as a concert pianist who sheds her lid when she discovers her partner has been unfaithful. She vanishes into the world, discovering a new self and ultimately coming to stop in a hilltop shack overlooking the ocean. Beautifully made and paced with a refreshing depiction of an older woman.

Ken Loach’s wonderful LOOKING FOR ERIC premiered today. More social-realism but this time, in the shape of a brilliant comedy. A football fanatic postman on the verge of a nervous breakdown finds salvation in the form of a very special life coach in the guise of his hero, Manchester United legend, Eric Cantona. We have very high hopes for this wonderful film and we are screening a sneak preview plus q&a across most of our cinemas on 4 June. Can Loach bag another Palme d’Or after THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY?

All the early morning headlines were reserved for Lars von Trier. ANTICHRIST was described as a “porno horror rhapsody” by Time and “a big fat art-film fart” by Variety. Wendy Ide at the Times online thinks it “seems calculated to outrage” and that perhaps he just likes the attention this type of film brings him. But Mark Brown from the Guardian actually came away “impressed.”

After the tragic accidental death of their toddler, a grieving couple retreat to their woodland cabin for some rest and recovery. That’s the basic premise, but being a von Trier film what you get is a gruesome psycho-horror complete with genital mutilation, explicit sexual torture and a disemboweled fox. All this from ‘the best director in the world’ – his words not mine. On the whole, perhaps on quite as bad we were expecting but it was pretty vile stuff!

As some critics might suggest, is ANTICHRIST really the worst film in the festival’s history? What about Stephan Elliott’s WELCOME TO WOOP WOOP, his unspeakable follow up to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert that screened in 1997.

Let’s not forget Johnny Depp’s one and only feature directorial effort THE BRAVE, also 1997. Legend has it, when it screened there was a problem with the print and while it was being fixed, most of the audience took the opportunity to leave. The film never received a cinematic release.

Or 2003′s THE BROWN BUNNY? Lampooned at the time and tagged then as ‘the worst film in the history of Cannes.’

Finally, we have to mention Richard ‘Donnie Darko’ Kelly’s SOUTHLAND TALES that premiered to deafening boos in 2006. There must be more…

Picturehouse Top Five

1. PRECIOUS
2. A PROPHET
3. POLICE, ADJECTIVE
4. LOOKING FOR ERIC
5. HIERRO