Cannes Film Review: 'Standing Tall'
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lifestyle THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015 MUSIC AND MOVIES US directors and Presidents of the Feature Film jury Ethan Coen (center) and Joel Coen (4th right) jury members Rossy de Palma, Sienna Miller, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Rokia Traore and Sophie Marceau pose for photographers US actor Jake Gyllenhaal (left), Mexican director Guillermo del Toro (2nd left), French actress Sophie Marceau (3rd during a photo call for members of the jury, at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France yester- left), Malian singer/songwriter Rokia Traore (4th left), Spanish actress Rossy de Palma (3rd right), Canadian direc- day.—AP photos tor Xavier Dolan (2nd right) and British actress Sienna Miller during a photocall ahead of the opening. Women take spotlight as curtain rises on Cannes film fest he Cannes Film Festival marks a change from the normally making her the first woman to them contradictory orders, and then eschewed its usual blockbuster flashy opening hits such as “Moulin receive an honorary Palme d’Or. see what happens,” Ethan joked. Topening yesterday to give its Rouge!” or “The Fifth Element”. The Oscar winner Natalie Portman is “That’s exactly what we do on the set coveted first slot to a film by a pace will pick up quickly over the presenting a special screening of her of our films,” his brother Joel added. woman director for only the second coming 12 days, with a number of directorial debut “A Tale of Love and “Up to now it’s worked pretty well. time. But it is another woman, Cate high-octane extravaganzas, includ- Darkness” about the early years of Order comes from chaos.” They will Blanchett, who stole the headlines ing “Mad Max: Fury Road” starring Israel. Blanchett told Variety however judge a typically eclectic selection with revelations about her past rela- Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, that mid-range films with women at that includes Matthew tionships. The Oscar-winning actress Taiwan’s “The Assassin” and Japan’s the centre were still “tricky to McConaughey in “The Sea of Trees”, appears alongside Rooney Mara in “Yakuza Apocalypse”. finance”. “There are a lot of people and Michael Fassbender risking the “Carol”, a Todd Haynes film in the France is particularly well-repre- labouring under the misapprehen- cursed role of Macbeth. running for the top Palme d’Or prize, sented in this year’s race for the top sion that people don’t want to see Among the highlights appearing which tells the story of a love affair prize, making up five of the 19 Palme them, which isn’t true,” she said. outside the competition are Woody between two women in New York in d’Or entries. There are some grum- Allen’s latest, “Irrational Man”, and a the 1950s. When asked by Variety blings in the French press, however, ‘Order comes from chaos’ new Pixar animation called “Inside magazine ahead of the premiere if over the increasing anglophone The jury is led this year by US Out”. The festival is also the biggest this was her first turn as a lesbian, dominance, with several European indie favorites Joel and Ethan Coen, film industry get-together of the she replied with a smile: “On film-or auteurs using Hollywood stars and who won the Palme in 1991 for year, with about 12,000 delegates in real life?” the English language to boost their “Barton Fink” and the runner-up from 116 countries expected to Pressed on whether she had had chances in global markets. Having Grand Prix for “Inside Llewyn Davis” attend, hawking their movies and past relationships with women, come under fire in recent years for a two years ago. “We love Cannes and closing deals. Insiders say this year’s Blanchett said: “Yes. Many times,” lack of female representation, the the festival. We have come here very marketplace has a number of inter- Actress Cate Blanchett arriving at the 2015 Independent Spirit Awards in without elaborating, the magazine festival also appears to be putting a often,” Ethan Coen told France’s Le esting upcoming projects. There’s Santa Monica, California.—AFP reported. Director Emmanuelle greater focus on women this year. Figaro newspaper in an interview particular interest in “The Circle” star- Bercot becomes the first woman Although only two women are up for published yesterday. ring Tom Hanks about a dangerously finance a new $50 million project, “Where are the Bruce Willises?” since 1987 to open the world’s most the top prize, the festival will cele- They promised to try to confuse powerful Internet company. trade magazine Variety reported. bemoaned one distributor in yester- famous film festival with her film brate legendary director Agnes their jury, which includes stars Jake And Aardman animator Nick Park, But industry insiders say there’s a day’s Variety—AFP “Standing Tall”, starring French icon Varda-who made her name during Gyllenhaal, Sienna Miller and Sophie the man behind “Wallace and shortage of massive blockbusters Catherine Deneuve. The gritty drama the French New Wave of the 1960s- Marceau. “We fully intend to give Gromit”, is also in town, looking to that can prop up the industry. Cannes film review: ‘Standing Tall’ t takes the entire juvenile justice system to will become the only stable and recurring Deneuve says at one point, and yet, the film away stare, but in time, even he starts to meld raise a child in “Standing Tall,” French location the kid can find over the course of an clearly views it as a public duty for society to with his more naturalistic surroundings, earn- Idirector Emmanuelle Bercot’s earnest adolescence spent in and out of detention step in where the parents fall short-a ques- ing his heroism not through a single dramatic homage to the unflagging dedication Gallic facilities, counseling centers and, at one tion of simple human rights, as viewed act, but rather by refusing to back down even social workers put into ensuring that no child point, even prison. Though not as rigorously through the prism of a more socialism- when Malony makes his life hell. gets left behind. Less group-huggy than such conceived as 2014 Cannes breakout “Gett: inclined country like France, which expends Bercot’s inspiration to make the film came inspirational pics as “Lean on Me” and “Stand The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” (which depicted as much as EUR800 per day to rehabilitate from an uncle, who worked coaching delin- and Deliver,” yet every bit as respectful of the a drawn-out five-year Israeli divorce proceed- such kids, regardless of color. (Paradot may be quent youth for years, and spent long hours pros who step in to educate and elevate dis- ing entirely from the confines of a rabbinical white, but the supporting cast introduces a observing juvenile coaches and judges alike advantaged youth, this atypically non-glam before writing the script (on which Marcia Cannes opener centers around young discov- Romano collaborated). The research shows in ery Rod Paradot, a serious-looking wood- both its dramatic detail and the dialogue working student whom Bercot convinced to itself, which is dense with technical terms and French actress Catherine Deneuve poses during a pho- play her volatile teenage lead. Though solid, legal slang. Apart from a romantic subplot tocall for the film “Standing Tall” (Tete Haute) ahead of this low-key drama seems unlikely to cause involving a girl named Tess (Diane Rouxel, the opening of the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, much of a stir outside of France, tracking 10 first seen in Larry Clark’s “The Smell of Us”), southeastern France, yesterday.—AFP years in the life of a troubled child, beginning nearly everything that happens could have the moment his birth mother gives up and been lifted from a real kid’s case file: the serial sticking close as a juvenile judge (Catherine carjackings, the spontaneous outbursts, the Deneuve, whose matronly turn provides little brother also remanded to a children’s Deneuve sad at the some export appeal) and her team refuse to home after his mom’s pot habit results in sec- throw in the towel. ondhand intoxication. death of glamour So much depends on the look of utter helplessness and confusion on young Volatile and inconsistent rench acting icon Catherine Deneuve is a cinema Malony’s face, as seen in the opening scene: Taking a page from the Dardenne broth- supernova. And she says they don’t make stars like Described by his birth mother (Sara Forestier) ers’ brand of social realism without going so Fthey used to. Deneuve told reporters in Cannes yes- as a “little monster,” Malony is clearly too inno- far as to attempt such documentary natural- terday that glamour needs mystery, and that’s hard cent to understand what’s happening. (From left) French producer Denis Pineau-Valencienne, screenwriter Marcia Romano, ism, the film unashamedly leans on music to achieve now that social media has blurred the Looking convincingly overwhelmed with her actor Benoit Magimel, actress Catherine Deneuve, director Emmanuelle Bercot, actor (the overused Arvo Part, for example, or a boundary between private and public. Deneuve said the greasy hair and gnarly overbite, Forestier’s Rod Paradot, actress Sara Forestier and producer Francois Kraus attend a press con- heavy-handed Bach cantata) to underscore all-revealing nature of celebrity culture doesn’t “let people character abandons her son in the care of ference for their film ìStanding Tallî (Tete Haute) ahead of the opening of the 68th emotions, while keeping things pseudo-real- dream anymore” about celebrities. Florence Blaque (Deneuve), a sympathetic yet Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southeastern France yesterday.—AFP istic via discreet handheld lensing.