Cannes at Home: Day 5

by Cláudio Alves

After the virulently negative reviews that befell The Last Face, it's surprising to see Sean Penn back in the main competition so soon. Flag Day marks Penn's third directorial effort to vie for the Palme d'Or after winning big in Cannes as an actor. The reactions, so far, seem primarily positive, and that's a big step-up from last time. Another main competition screening was Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen's Compartment No. 6, which some have already compared to Before Sunrise. Back in 2016, he won the Un Certain Regard section with The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, so this promotion to the big league feels especially earned. To celebrate the occasion, our alternative program shall focus on these directors' earlier successes…

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Cannes at Home: Day 4

by Cláudio Alves

Benedetta has arrived! Going into Cannes, Paul Verhoeven's promised delirium of Baroque nunsploitation was one of the most anticipated titles in competition. As the mixed reactions pour out of the Croisette, international expectations have only increased; Unanimous praise would be disappointing for such a film. Beyond Verhoeven in the Competition lineup, Catherine Corsini also premiered her latest La Fracture. Other promising new titles outside the competition slate are Eva Husson's Mothering Sunday and Karim Aïnouz's Mariner of the Mountains. As we wait for those four gourmet prospects to be released or come to a future festival near us, we look back at these directors' past works, to find many visions of carnality, both sensual and disturbing...

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Cannes at Home: Day 3

by Cláudio Alves

The third day of this year's Cannes Film Festival was a busy one. First, there were two premieres for films in the main competition, Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World and Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's Lingui. The response to the latter was so effusive, some are already calling it a contender for the Palme d'Or. Then, in the Un Certain Regard section, Kogonada's sophomore feature, After Yang, took its bow. Other premieres from prominent directors included Andrea Arnold's Cow and Tom McCarthy's Stillwater. Our Cannes at Home program is made up of past films from this illustrious quintet, encompassing a meditation on loss, an allegory of civil war, love songs for architecture, and more.

OSLO, AUGUST 31ST (2011)
From dawn to dawn, a young man ponders the end. Joachim Trier gives a premise fit for po-faced European miserabilism a fresh face in Oslo, August 31st. While not treading new ground, the tale of potential death is all about life, approaching the material with a form that rarely overstates the idea with either in-your-face vitality or florid nihilism...

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Cannes at Home: Day 2

by Cláudio Alves

Today at the Cannes Film Festival, Israeli cineaste Nadav Lapid and French provocateur François Ozon premiered two more films in competition. Both flicks, Ahed's Knee and Everything Went Fine, have received good notices, intensifying international anticipation. Since most of us can't be at Cannes, we shall distract ourselves with past works from these auteurs. Another notable first screening was Todd Haynes' documentary about The Velvet Underground, featured out of competition. In the Cinema à la Plage section, Jerry Schatzberg's Palme d'Or-winning Scarecrow returned to the festival, while Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir screened for the Director's Fortnight in anticipation of its sequel. Considering all this, let's delve into our Cannes at Home alternative program…

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Cannes at Home: Day 1

by Cláudio Alves

Every year, we cinephiles not lucky enough to be in Cannes at the time of the festival, mope around for two weeks, checking on critics' coverage, drowning in FOMO. Well, at least that's what I do. Not so this year. From now until the Closing Ceremony, let's check out past works from the cineastes presenting features at this year's festival. We might also take a look at some of the older flicks getting a new day in the sun thanks to such sections as Cannes Classics and Cinema à la Plage. Only films available to watch from home will be considered, of course. 

With all that out of the way, let's dive in and explore the cinematic gems on this first day of our housebound international film festival…

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