The Highlights from Cannes at NZIFF

REVIEW | PŪRĀKAU / MYTHOLOGY

Written by Caeden Tipler (they/them) | @caedentipler | Contributing Writer

Cannes is a prestigious international film festival held in the French Riviera. It’s a, if not the,

key event at the start of the cinematic year. Films that premiere at Cannes are often early frontrunners for Academy Awards.

The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) is the first time we can see Cannes premieres in our theatres, coming ahead of theatrical releases or even North American openings in some cases. This year, there were plenty of Cannes favourites on offer. This includes the opening night film, It Was Just An Accident, which was the Palme d’Or (top prize) winner at Cannes. While I was nearly overwhelmed with films to see, with a few devastating clashes, these are a few highlights from Cannes that I was able to watch.

It Was Just An Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Iran, France, Luxembourg

Won Palme D’Or 

It was refreshing to see a Cannes favourite with so much nuance, particularly at a time when Iranian voices are being flattened in the West. It Was Just An Accident follows an Iranian man who was complicit in torture, however, it also centres on Iranian men who are kind and loving family members. It shows women who are fierce in their resistance, and the women who choose, decision by decision, to uphold such an oppressive regime. The film lets you figure out its tone and who plays what role for yourself. It eases you with moments of black comedy, then hits you with a gut-punching monologue. It feels authentic - although it’s filmed so seamlessly, it’s hard to imagine it was filmed in secret, illegally. When you feel the very human push-and-pull between forgiveness and revenge that anchors the storyline, you can see exactly why Panahi’s work rocks so many people.

Eddington

Director: Ari Aster

United States

It’s hard to convey why I like this film so much without spoiling some of the themes that emerge with the ending. However, if ‘just trust me’ isn’t enough to convince you to see it and you don’t mind soft spoilers, then keep reading. This film is an exploration of people's responses to COVID-19, but it’s also a criticism of corporate power. Especially when it comes to corporations’ lobbying power (no matter what “side”) for their own interests. In this - intentional - confusion, Eddington urges us to reckon with the slippery few taking advantage of people's distrust and uncertainty. This is not a centrist, “both sides are bad” film, but one that uses outspoken voices (Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal) to poke holes in the American political landscape. It’s also a true Western, there are guns and murder, and it’s unexpectedly funny. Even if it isn’t without flaws. 

The Mastermind

Director: Kelly Reichardt 

United States

Kelly Reichardt is one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. Her films generally offer refreshing takes on tried and true genres. The Mastermind, the Reichardt version of a crime/heist movie, is no exception. While this is definitely a heist movie, it is not an action film. Josh O’Connor (still riding the high of Challengers’ cultural impact) plays the lead, James Mooney. Mooney is a criminal, but not a criminal mastermind. He is a burnout father bumbling his way through life as a lousy family man. Despite the glaringly obvious backdrop, he also ignores the reality of American life in the early 1970s - including the Vietnam War. The film captures the day-by-day creep up of both family responsibility and the political climate to Mooney, culminating in an excellent conclusion.

O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)

Brazil, France, Netherlands, Germany

Won Best Actor, Best Director

Brazilian cinema is at a captivating moment, becoming an even larger global force. Fresh off a Best International Feature win with last year’s I’m Still Here at the Academy Awards, it was exciting to see Brazil profiled at NZIFF. It was even more exciting to see another film reckoning with the horrors of living under Brazil’s 1970s military dictatorship. Notably, The Secret Agent is not a straightforward, tragic drama with some political undertones. It is a vibrant exploration of the impact of an oppressive government on families, told through a father trying to protect his son. It is ideologically driven as much as it is driven by a nostalgia for Brazil’s cultural past. While not perfect, it is exactly the kind of film I’d hope would get people talking. Wagner Moura is incredible as the lead Marcelo, firmly cementing himself as an actor who deserves the label of a star.  

Put Your Soul In Your Hand and Walk

Director: Sepideh Farsi

France, Palestine, Iran

Put Your Soul In Your Hand and Walk is a significant documentary film. It follows Fatima Hassouna, a photojournalist in Gaza, in a year-long series of video calls with director Sepideh Farsi. It chronicles Hassouna’s life during Israel’s war on Gaza, and her desire to document what is happening. While many of us see lots of photos and videos of the destruction in Gaza on social media, it’s rare that we are able to follow the story of one person for so long, and in such a humanising light. Israel is clearly afraid of the impact a film like this can have. They murdered Hassouna and her family in a targeted strike the day after this film was selected for Cannes. I didn’t agree with every creative decision or question asked by Farsi, but it’s overwhelmingly still more important that the film was made at all. Hassouna said on social media that if she died, she wanted a loud death. This film makes that possible. 

My Father’s Shadow 

Nigeria, United Kingdom 

My Father’s Shadow is the first Nigerian film to ever premiere at Cannes. It is a semi-autobiographical drama, written by director Akinola Davies Jr, along with his brother Wale Davies. The film takes place over a single day, following a father and his sons amongst growing political unrest in Lagos. The film is shot from the perspective of the sons. We only learn what they know, and there are scenes overlaid by their ideations and interpretations of the world. The casting of real-life brothers Chibuike Marvellous Egbo and Godwin Egbo lends the relationships more authenticity, particularly as the brothers have both a real bond as well as huge talent. The overall result is a heartfelt exploration of their father/son relationships, and a beautiful tribute to a flawed, but respected figure of the sons’ imaginations.