IviDvo

I know it's not right to generalize, but this is how I really imagine today's twenty-somethings: sad obsession with the perfect Instagram or Tiktok profile, the more likes, shares and followers, the more people like us. The perfect and terribly dangerous illusion of social media. Half of your followers love you beyond the grave, and the other half would love to get you into that grave themselves, at least threaten you with it. There are 50,000 people who love you on social media, and in reality, nobody really gives a damn about you. Even Liane is a victim of this virtual world and virtual love and is convinced that when she gets to the reality show called Miracle Island, which she auditions for, she will be loved even more. Her follower count is soaring thanks to her provocative stories, giving her that external validation she craves so much, as all of us want is to be liked, but at what cost? Today, virtually everyone can be an influencer, even if their content is absolutely nothing, where will this lead? [Festival de Cannes 2024]

Jérémie arrives in his hometown for the funeral of his former employer, to whom he was very close, and stays for a few days with the deceased's wife, the widow Martine. She is happy to host him at her place, but her son resents it. What appears at first to be a friendly comedy quickly slides into a chilling and nerve-wracking detective drama, but retains a solid dose of wit and humour to the end. One of the most interesting characters is the priest... you'll understand why when (if) you see the film. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

A very cute animated film about a lonely cat who must join forces with other animals during a devastating flood to become a team player. I think it's a very bold film, because it's a silent film that manages to keep the viewer's attention throughout thanks to some nice and unconventional (if at times flawed) animation, some beautiful music, and some likeable animal characters who sometimes act like animals, sometimes like humans, which is a bit too shallow and banal, but probably makes it more accessible and fun for the viewer. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

This year, the festival has featured several biopics such as The Apprentice, Being Maria, and Niki. And although in the technical side Limonov is one of the most accomplished and authentic, I liked it least of all. It's a huge shame, because the first 45 minutes are great and pumped up, and if they had maintained that pace to the end, it would have been a blast. But that didn't happen, so after that hour the film started to slow down considerably and I stopped enjoying it. But what's really great is the use of grainy cinematography in places, creating the illusion of period footage that actually looks like it was shot in the seventies. Like I said, the technical side of the film is really brilliant. Ben Whishaw is a great actor, and his portrayal of Limonov is impressive, but it's true that this narcissistic underground writer and activist did nothing for me, so I followed his story pretty disinterestedly. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

One of the nicest and funniest films of this year's festival. Thibault is a successful and famous conductor who discovers he has a brother. Jimmy has a huge musical talent too, but he wasn't so lucky with the environment he grew up in, so he wasn't able to fully develop his talents. Although they don't meet until they are adults, gradually their brotherly relationship begins to deepen and they are both a huge asset to each other, enriching each other's lives. The film is full of incredibly endearing and likeable characters who deliver one funny line after another. I can't say that the story overall is particularly original, because in truth it's a bit predictable, but that didn't bother me at all. For me, it was such a treat to the soul and I left the cinema with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

The only thing I knew about Anora before the festival was that it was supposed to be about a stripper who meets the son of a Russian oligarch, and very quickly they want to get married. And I think that's pretty much all you need to know. When it gets here, go see it in the theater and I promise you'll have a good time. You'll get a solid dose of harmoniously balanced drama and comedy. What I found very interesting about this film is that I actually didn't find most of the characters entirely likeable, (which is usually what I need for a film to fully draw me in), but I still enjoyed it immensely because it's played to perfection by the entire ensemble cast. So I'm quite happy about the Palme d'Or award at Cannes. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

Demi Moore is back! And in a banger like this! When my friend asked me what it was about, I said: something like Death Becomes Her, but more modern, more revealing, more honest, more daring, more raw, more psychological, and most importantly... bloodier! I had an incredible time, but the film also made me think. I don't have to burden myself with ageing at the moment, but it's coming, and I'm surrounded by women who are at a similar stage of life to the main character (just not famous), and I can see that it's a heavy burden. The body isn't as fresh and firm as it used to be, men don't turn on you anymore, and the terrible way it can play with the psyche, and self-esteem, I think that's portrayed perfectly. What are we going to say, the world has always been, still is, and probably always will be putting a huge emphasis on looks. And then a sleazebag like the one played by Dennis Quaid defines you, your worth, and your life: a perfect contrast. For me, the movie experience of the year, which I will, despite the final over-the-topness and absurdity, gladly give a second viewing. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

The Seed of the Sacred Fig is an intimate but powerful family drama. In the first part, we gradually get to know all the members of the family. How social events in the country affect them, but also the more personal changes brought about by the father's job promotion, which means the family is more careful, vigilant and deliberate about who they associate with, who they say what to, etc. The family seems to be living a quiet life until the day they have to treat a friend of one of their daughters who has been seriously injured while attending a demonstration. This sparks the first rift between mother and daughters, but everything is kept from the father, who is rather absent in the first part of the film. In the second part we follow the hunt for the truth about the missing service weapon. Slowly the character of the father is revealed as he suspects his daughters and slips into the interrogation practices he has adopted from his work. In the finale, it then feels a bit like a kind of Iranian version of The Shining. This transition could have been a great idea, but unfortunately it didn't really work for me because the characters stopped behaving logically. I don't understand why everyone involved let it go so far, their actions didn't seem rational at all, on the contrary it was completely unnecessarily escalated. If they had shortened the first part and given more space for us to get to know the father figure more deeply, maybe everything would have made a lot more sense. But at the same time, the first part of the film is much more interesting because it holds up a mirror to society. It reveals the differences between the older, more conservative generation, for whom God is the law, and the younger generation, who yearn for more freedom, a more meaningful system and justice. Had this been the main theme of the film, I think it would have had a much greater and stronger impact. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

I don't think I can give you a better assessment of Grand Tour. I'd like to blame it on fatigue or excessive air conditioning in the hall, which made the experience a bit unpleasant, but I don't think that's entirely it. The content lures the viewer into the story of a man who runs away from his fiancée just before their wedding and embarks on a harrowing journey through Asia, but also the story of the fiancée herself, who wants to get married at any cost, so she determinedly travels in his footsteps to find him. What the content doesn't already tell you, however, is that this story, which is fiction but also largely just narrated, makes up about half of the film. In fact, the whole thing is interspersed with essentially old, but also more modern "documentary" footage, collages of ordinary life, culture and everyday customs from the places the ex-fiancés have just arrived. I guess I can understand the Cannes award for Best Director, because this concept is unprecedented... but I didn't like this composition, or I haven't yet matured to the point where I am able to understand and appreciate this art form. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

In All We Imagine as Light, we follow two protagonists, colleagues and roommates, who couldn't be more different from each other. Prabha is devotedly waiting for her husband, who is abroad and whom she hasn't heard from in a year. She is very serious, orderly, and rejects her colleague's romantic courtship, though it is clear that she also has some affection for him. Anu, on the other hand, is a cheerful free spirit who rejects arranged marriage, and tries to steal every spare moment to spend time with her lover, which is not exactly easy for them, as they don't have many places to go or ways to be alone. I think Prabha is envious of Anu's freedom and free-spirited nature, which is putting a bit of a damper on their relationship. And that's about all that happens in the film... I heard conflicting opinions from all sides at the festival. Some called the film the best this year, and others didn't understand what all the fuss was about, and I'm in the latter group. I don't want to say that the film is bad, because it is not, but it is terribly tedious, I felt that it dragged on for at least three hours. I didn't really like the female leads either, they didn't draw me into the plot that much, so I didn't feel like I was rooting for them, that I cared about them in any way. Honestly, I liked the Indian film Santosh better, which was also screened at Cannes this year, but in the Un Certain Regard category. [Festival de Cannes 2024]