Looking into the more foreign affair of Cannes, after all Cannes celebrates film from all over the world and often showcase the best filmmakers from their respective countries. Let's take a look at what critics are saying about the films made by these stand-out filmmakers (an Iranian, a Romanian, a Canadian, and an Italian!)
Like Someone in Love
directed by Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami's last film "Ceritified Copy" was his first film made outside of Iran and it was among his most acclaimed works A seasoned filmmaker heading into his seventies, Kiarostami is back in Cannes two years later with this Japanese-French production. So far? Looks like it's getting a rather mixed response from critics. Here's a select few:
The Playlist
AV Club
The Guardian UK
AwardsDaily
Hollywood Reporter
Laurence Anyways
directed by Xavier Dolan
23 year-old Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan is already a veteran to Cannes. He's had all three of his films play there with Laurence Anyways perhaps being his most ambitious. A 159-minute film about a couple trying to maintain a relationship while the man undergoes an operation to become a woman. Dolan's only 23 but he has a very strong sense of style which a lot of critics seem to admire, for Laurence Anyways, they seem to acknowledge that. Some may also feel, though, that this 2 1/2 hour film kinda lays it on a bit too thick. Still, it's very interesting to see this young filmmaker develop year after year.
AV Club
Hollywood Reporter
The Playlist
Village Voice
Reality
directed by Matteo Garrone
Matteo Garrone's last film "Gomorrah" is definitely a film I have to revisit. It was a critically acclaimed crime film and it looked incredibly authentic, but I just wasn't in the mood to watch it when I had it in my DVD player. It's a film you have to pay 100% attention to and I just wasn't having it. Come to think of it, I should add it on my netflix queue right now.
"Reality" is his follow-up film and it's a drastic change in tone but it's a story told in a similar style as Gomorrah. It has some comedic elements to it and is more-or-less about the unreality of reality television. It has gotten some positive reviews, but has its fair share of detractors.
On the more positive side:
AV Club
Daily Telegraph
Time Out
Negative:
Hollywood Reporter
The Playlist
Beyond the Hills
directed by Cristian Mungiu
You may not be familiar with Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, but his last feature-length film was "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" which won the Palme D'or back in 2007. So his follow-up would definitely garner some attention. For the most part, it seems like "Beyond the Hills" delivers... although the reviews aren't exactly glowing either.
The Playlist
The Daily Telegraph
Hollywood Reporter
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