My Three* Days in Cannes!

(*There were the 3 days of the programme, but really my experience of the festival stretched over 5 days.)

Like most people I applied to the programme without any expectations. Going to Cannes Film Festival at the age of 20 is something I never could’ve anticipated and I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity. I also met so many wonderful people from all over the world, which was an unexpected bonus. I will treasure these 5 days greatly for the rest of my life.

Day 1 (Wednesday)

After picking up the pass and meeting people, I went to the ‘Rendez-vous avec John Travolta’. This seemed to be the longest conversation I’d ever sat through and I found out that Travolta’s a scientologist (yikes!), which I feel like I should’ve already known.

(John Travolta)

The screening of the 40th Anniversary edition of Grease on the beach was an enjoyable experience, with everyone singing along to Summer Lovin’. However, it soon got cold and the sand started becoming irritable, so I left shortly after Beauty School Dropout.

(Grease on the beach)

Day 2 (Thursday)

My first film of the festival was Dogman, and the more I think about this film the more I love it. The closeness and intense focus of it, in terms of both the characters and the plot really allows it to blossom. Marcello Fonte’s performance as Marcello deservedly won him Best Actor, as he perfectly captures the desire to be liked that his character has. It is also his eponymous character that shapes and defines the film, making the story small but deep in a way that absolutely works.

In My Room was the second film I saw, and it can be talked about in terms of its two very different halves. I especially loved how the film negotiated these two halves; the first, which follows Armin (Hans Löw) through his struggles with his job, family and love life, and the second, where everyone on Earth disappears, Armin builds a new life and meets Kirsi (Elena Radonicich). There are echoes of his previous life in his new life, and the film shows us that although he may have changed physically, and the world around him may have also changed, he is still the same person. As the film developed I expected it to be a situation where the last man, Armin, and last woman, Kirsi, decide to have a baby for the survival of mankind, but it took a nice surprising turn. Armin is obviously too stuck in his ways and is toxic to Kirsi and so she leaves him which is what he deserves and was a promising ending.

I decided it was worth waiting in the last minute queue for the Caphernaüm gala screening, and thankfully got in. Last minute queues in Cannes really do work, as long as you get there early. Every time I queued last minute for the Grand Théâtre Lumière, I got in - even with the Closing film! Out of all the films I watched at Cannes, Caphernaüm was my favourite. It felt incredibly special and life changing to be at the premiere, which sounds like an exaggeration, but when I think about it, I still feel the same way. I especially loved the way in which the story unravelled and thought it was beautifully told. Mixing the present day court case, with what happened from both Zain (Zain Alrafeea) and Rahil's (Yordanos Shifera) perspectives shows the reality of the situation. The film doesn't just focus on one person's story and presents the narrative in an intertwined way. By doing so, the film reminds us of that it is not just one person, but many people that are going through heartbreaking struggles daily.

Day 3 (Friday)

I’ve thought about Knife + Heart a lot since watching it, because I wasn’t quite sure what I made of it. Graphic images like the rape scene or the multiple killings during gay sex/sexual acts, linking violence and gay sex, made me hugely uncomfortable and it was quite hard for me to get past that. However, the heart that went into the film is also clear, and the more I reflect on it, I’ve realised I love everything else about the film. I loved the humour, the relationships, the satire and the stylised quality it has. It is a film that stood out to me as unique in its innovation, but the gruesome imagery of killing, even if meant as irony, felt very wrong to watch.

I couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed with Under the Silver Lake, and I wasn’t alone, as I found out when discussing the film with others after seeing it. The lack of depth to female characters and the male gaze seemed to be real problems with this film, but problems it chose to ignore. On the other hand, character in general isn’t of much concern to the film, and plot is at the heart of it. It wants you to build the story and it recreates the experience of a conspiracy theory for the audience. In particular, the film uses cinematography to bring the audience into this world of conspiracy. However, in order to decide how I personally feel about this film, I'm sure I will have to re-watch it.

With Friday evening came the gala screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Considering myself a Star Wars fan, I was delighted to be able to watch this film in such a special setting, even if I wasn’t too excited about the film itself. It is fun for what it is, and there are some especially significant moments. Unfortunately despite these big moments, the film isn’t anything special. For a more in-depth review of this film, watch VIDEO: My views on 'Solo: A Star Wars Story’.

Day 4 (Saturday)

I think the fact that I was so tired I held my eyes open during most of 3 Faces slightly ruined the experience of the film for me. I loved this unusual and original story, and can’t help but think about the conditions and restrictions under which this film managed to be completed. I also loved the way it worked with its own simplicity in terms of the camerawork, and managed to create a complex story. I hope that I will be able to rewatch this film at some point, this time being wide awake.

I mainly went to see Godard’s Image Book because it was short and I was planning on joining the BlacKkKlansman queue straight after. Unfortunately, even though I went straight to the queue after Image Book, it was longer than I ever could’ve imagined it would've been already. I’m not sure if it was because I was tired or not, but I found this film incredibly hard to watch. I appreciate the fact that a lot of thought must’ve gone into each second of the film, and that most of its ideas probably went straight over my head. I believe it has been picked up by MUBI UK, so I think I’ll give it a rewatch when it comes out on that platform and see if I can make more sense of it.

I didn’t know much about The Man Who Killed Don Quixote going into it, other than the news articles about the court case, how long it took to make it, and Gilliam’s incredibly dodgy #MeToo views. However, I absolutely loved this film, and it is definitely one of my favourites from my viewed films at Cannes, as well as being a perfect way to finish the festival. After seeing Image Book, I went back to my hotel, got changed into my evening wear and then made my way back to the Palais to wait in the last minute queue for this film. All the time in the queue was worth it, as after the ceremony was shown on the large screens outside the building, many of us were let onto the carpet. I also managed to watch the first half of the FA Cup final on my phone in the queue before the ceremony started, even though it ended up being a frustrating and disappointing game. On the red carpet, we got to watch Sting and Shaggy perform, while the jury and winners were stood on the steps in front of us. This was such a special moment, and was very much worth waiting for.

(Sting, Shaggy, the jury, and the winners)

(Nothing but respect for MY president!)

In terms of the film itself, I loved the crazy mix of modern and mythic, as well as its reflection on cinema and storytelling. I was also able to catch the cast and Gilliam on their way out of the theatre, and took some pictures of them.

Day 5 (Sunday)

Although the festival was over, my trip was not over just yet. I met up with a friend for lunch and we spent the day being tourists, taking pictures, eating ice cream and shopping.

(Tourist-y pictures)

(Ice cream from Amorino)

(David Lynch’s handprint!)

(We all know why Nicole Kidman didn’t do her handprint properly, haha!)

(The beach)

After a short rest on the beach, we decided to find somewhere to eat. When we were walking past the Palais, we saw something was going on, and found out that they were screening the Palme D’Or 2018, Shoplifters. We made it all the way to the film beginning before realising they had taken the extra subtitle screen down, which usually displayed the English subtitles. So we watched the film with French subtitles, which was incredibly confusing and frustrating. Although I couldn’t understand most of it, the film managed to keep my attention the whole way through. I found myself wishing so bad that I could understand them and I was intensely trying to put together the little French and Japanese I know to try make sense of it. I hope that I can see the film properly soon.

Overall, I find myself very lucky to have been to the festival and to have experienced it in such a wonderful way, even if I didn’t watch all the films I wanted to see. Hopefully in the future I can return to the festival, but I suspect that even if I do, this first time will remain the most special to me.