3 images from Festival de Cannes Press Office

Award winning Danish director/writer Nicolas Winding Refn, constantly brings us strong intensity in practically all scenes in a film where Kristen Scott Thomas plays a character totally unexpected and different from her usual stereo type that we didn't even recognise her at first.

Mystical spirituality in Thailand is conveyed in a powerful dramatic flair where extreme righteousness is applied by a retired local chief of police with with god like lawful attitude and a penchant for singing.

A very dark and twisted insight on motherhood by a controlling evil female crime boss with her 2 sons with seemingly Oedipus complexes towards her. 

Daringly bold with its screenplay as the mother (Thomas) loudly blurts out over dinner to her younger son (Gosling) that he was always jealoused with his older brother for having a bigger genitalia...

Instances of dark comedy, outrageous scenes of violence are not a miss.

Relatively a new twist in the usual underworld story that's quite gripping and disturbing.

A strong contender at this year's competition.

Directed by: Nicolas WINDING REFN 

Country: DENMARK, FRANCE

Year: 2012

Duration: 90.00 minutes

2 images from Festival de Cannes Press Office

Brace yourselves for this 4 hour screenplay, this film is hardly gripping but more of a statement that says take it or leave it-

(walk out or remain for its duration as after all patience has a virtue)

This rhetorically long winded L.Diaz film finally redeems itself as the story unfolded on the 3rd hour with a darker revelation... 

More or less like a classic story of 'rich man & poor man' in a rural area in the Philippines where intellectual intelligence, and idealism is conveyed by the privileged one, and while the warmth and kind heartedness trait of a Filipino enacted by the latter simpleton one falsely accused & jailed of a crime he did not commit.

Insights on politics, religiousness, as well as the mystical in Filipino culture all humorously presented. 

Photographically scenic shots as well as long stationary scenes transports us to be within the film scenario itself...

There was a reason why this film was short listed for 'Un Certain Regard'.

Directed by : Lav DIAZ 

Country: PHILIPPINES

Year: 2013

Duration: 250.00 minutes

Photo Credits: Kirsten Nijhof for Oper Leipzig
Composed in 1833  Wagner's first complete opera remained un performed in his lifetime. On the occasion of the bicentennial celebrations we decided to focus on the power of the music and how it can stimulate our imagination.
After a Saturday family diner with his wife, sons, their wives and his two sisters in law, a father goes to his living room to listen to a live radio broadcast of the rarely performed opera , "Die Feen" from the Leipzig Oper.
The emotion vehicled by the music has the power to disinhibit the listener who projects himself into the characters. Enraptured by the music the gentleman starts to sing the role of Arindal and lives through the many adventures of his character while his wife, not an opera fan, leaves him to go to the gym. The apartment becomes this giant playground  and transforms itself into the many locations the storyline requires until husband and wife are reunited at the end of their evening. The production is a gathering and a bond in between the modern world  we live in,  the romantic 1830's of Wagner's time and the Middle age that was such an inspiration for him. In the intimacy of our own home we can all become a knight and our flat may transform into a magic garden or castle .

André Barbe & Renaud Doucet
www.barbedoucet.com

2 images from Festival de Cannes Press Office

A love story that may happen in any couple whether it be a gay relationship or a hetero one. Michael Douglas has more or less gave justice in being Liberace, perhaps not as camp as the original Lee (Liberace's nick name) but with enough believable conviction.

Matt Damon who is known for brilliantly being 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' gave it a more subdued performance in comparison (as perhaps this is how the true to life character of Liberace's long term partner Scott Thorson is in person).