Cannes Daily Round-Up: Day 5

Steven S.K. Hao ’18:

Waking up after yet another five-hour night of sleep (sleeplessness is an overarching theme at Cannes, as one might have discerned by now), I arrive at the line for Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling’s new film, “The Nice Guys,” over an hour in advance. Unfortunately, the Cannes overlords have deemed it appropriate to screen the buddy cop comedy in Salle Bazin, one of the two smallest screening theaters at the Palais des Festivals. It is the size of an independent neighborhood theater and as a result, the deluge of higher-ranked press badges fills the room almost to capacity. By the grace of the film gods, however, I am admitted in the last minute, sneaking into one of the last available seats.

Read more in Steven’s review of “The Nice Guys”: “If you’re expecting a daring and paradigm-shifting maverick of a film, this is not the movie for you. At the same time, the world needs films that simply make audiences laugh, and ‘The Nice Guys’—superbly executed and blissful to the point that it refuses to take even itself seriously—is just that.”

After the screening (which was simply a hoot), I rush to the press conference line for the most important day in my hunt for industry autographs. It is a good day, to say the least—I leave with selfies and/or signatures from Shia LaBeouf, Marion Cotillard, Matt Bomer and Ryan Gosling. Russell Crowe was a little cold to the line and refused to sign for more than one or two people, but I would only expect that much from Maximus Decimus Meridius.

Tianxing V. Lan ’18:

While Steven heads to “The Nice Guys,” I watch the competition movie of the morning, “From the Land of the Moon.” It ends up being a fairly mediocre romantic drama with pretty cinematography, famous actors, and little more. The good news, however, is that since two of my favorite stars, Marion Cotillard and Louis Garrel, are in this film, I am able to get autographs from both at the press conference afterwards.

Vincent’s review of “From the Land of the Moon” is coming soon.

Following a “get the autograph and run” policy, I am able to make it to the re-screening of “Mademoiselle,” the competition film from the day before. While “From the Land of the Moon” is merely mediocre, “Mademoiselle” simply annoys me for how ingenuine it is, devolving into a voyeuristic spectacle void of sympathy for its characters and objectifying women in the name of feminism.

Read more in Vincent’s review of “Mademoiselle”: “‘Mademoiselle (The Handmaiden)’ impresses with its eye-catching cinematography, daring sex scenes, and plentiful plot twists. However, it fails in its most fundamental aspect: It possesses no genuine emotion or believable story. Beneath its beautiful veneer, the film is hollow.”

In the evening, Steven and I cannot get into the screening of Jim Jarmusch’s much-anticipated “Paterson,” so we call it a day. Given the film’s glowing reviews, we are looking forward to seeing it tomorrow.