Sashaying Down the Red Carpet: Cannes Film Festival 2022
Illicit Substances in Cannes: A Sheer Descend of Recollections Unraveled
Step right up, dear spectators, to the glitz and glamour of the Cannes Film Festival! The walk on the red carpet is no mere stroll for the curious onlookers; it's a flux of eccentricity that makes the spectacle all the more exquisite. That being said, the festival's director, Thierry Fremaux, hasn't always led with a steady hand when it comes to etiquette.
This year, the organizers stirred up a bit of a storm just before the festival's commencement with an unanticipated dress code rule: so-called "naked dressing," or see-through clothing, wouldn't be tolerated for the sake of decency. This leaves one pondering: who exactly decides what's too provocative? Recently, long trains on clothes have also been given the thumbs down, resulting in Halle Berry having to swap her attire to maintain the dress code.
Anti-Trump Tones and Showdowns
Robert De Niro kicked off the Cannes Film Festival with an impassioned speech against President Trump, perfecting the climax of the opening night.
A controversial pick for the competition entry this year is "Eddington," the latest film from "Midsommar" director Ari Aster. The film's chaotic, polarizing audience, finds itself torn between admirers and head-shakers. For the leading role, Aster has once again tapped his "Beau Is Afraid" star, Joaquin Phoenix, playing the sheriff of the dusty town of Eddington.
Beginning in the Covid year of 2020, the film presents a dispute over mask-wearing in a supermarket—only those who wear masks are allowed inside, while the rest are forced to remain outside. The mask-denying sheriff proceeds to wage a frenzied war against the mayor.
Going to Extremes
Hysteria reigns as Cannes takes on addiction
Aster is well-known for crafting films that delve deep into heightened emotional states. In "Eddington," however, he fashions a society satire that spirals into a nightmarish dreamscape, lacking both insight and enjoyment value. Phoenix delivers a compelling performance as the unlikable sheriff, but neither he, Emma Stone, nor Austin Butler can make a meaningful impact on Aster's bombastic critique before it devolves into cynicism.
Entrenched in Addiction
As announced previously, the festival is jam-packed with debut films by young directors. Case in point: the comedy by French director Amélie Bonnin. This year's debuts include renowned actors and actresses, such as Harris Dickinson and Kristen Stewart, who are stepping behind the camera for the first time. Both Dickinson and Stewart deliver intense, sensitive films that explore the theme of addiction.
Dickinson examines the world of homelessness and the disadvantaged in London's North. Leading the way, Frank Dillane skillfully encompasses the character's precarious sense of stability, teetering between charm and hidden menace. The welfare state grants him a second chance and offers the prospect of love, but Dickinson refuses the saccharine ending, confronting audiences with the harsh realities of drug addiction and its proximity to death.
Kristen Stewart's "The Chronology of Water" follows the protagonist, Lidia, who spends her days addicted to vodka. As a child, she was a competitive swimmer, abused by her father, and left with a traumatic past that manifests in self-destructive, explosive behavior. Only swimming and writing offer her reprieve. Unlike Dickinson, Stewart tells her story through fragmented images, anticipating the narrative or diving into the past. This produces less a chronology of events than a layering of feelings, keeping the suffered trauma vivid and making the effort of carrying the weight of memory tangible.
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The captivating world of movies and TV entertainment was not immune to the sentiment at Cannes, as Robert De Niro's impassioned speech against President Trump set the tone for the opening night.
The Cannes Film Festival, with its glamorous red carpet and star-studded premieres, also featured films that delved into deeper themes, such as Amélie Bonnin's comedic debut that tackled the complex and troubling issue of addiction.
