Cannes Diary – Day 7

Broken Embraces

Cannes settled comfortably into its second week this morning with Pedro Almodóvar’s BROKEN EMBRACES. Beautifully shot with a typically interwoven story-line and, once again, a gorgeous Penélope Cruz. Fans will certainly not be disappointed. A favourable review from Peter Bradshaw at the Guardian who called it “a richly enjoyable piece of work, slick and sleek…infatuated with the business of cinema itself.”

Blackouts and protest marches hit Cannes today. Electrical and gas workers took to the Rue d’Antibes, apparently in protest at recent government privatisation plans, and at the same time parts of the city experienced a blackout, forcing several screenings to be cancelled or postponed. I’m sure that was just a coincidence, right?

Cristian Mungiu, the director of 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS continues the Romanian cinema revival with TALES OF THE GOLDEN AGE. A beautifully played, very droll series of vignettes concerning life under Ceauçescu.

Joon-Ho Bong’s MOTHER is a very interesting South Korean picture. A blend of MEMORIES OF MURDER and Pudovkin’s MOTHER filtered through TWIN PEAKS. Strikingly shot, it’s unllikely to extend beyond the festival circuit (if they were still going, Tartan would have bought it) but likely to surface – and worth catching – at the London Film Festival.

Our very own Clare Binns was interviewed by Channel 4 News today. Up for discussion was the recession and its effect on our industry, the films screened so far in the festival and what the Picturehouse team actually do here. Look out for it on Wednesday (20th) evening’s Channel 4 News. Talking of news, the British press have been especially generous with their star ratings so far in the festival. Is this going to be a bumper year? Check out the excellent Guardian Film Blog for a round up of what the critics are saying.

Picturehouse Top Five (unchanged from Day 6)

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