From Russia without love at Cannes
FEW of the films I saw at Cannes this year sent me away reaching for superlatives. Two that did make an impression, though, were the controversial Netflix films: Okja, and The Meyerowitz Stories.
From next year, Netflix movies not due a cinema release won’t be eligible for the Festival’s coveted Palme D’Or, but in the meantime, these two are valid contenders for prizes.
Okja is a satire about the food industry fused with a Disney-style story about a 13-year-old South Korean girl’s attachment to the gigantic pig-like creature she has raised, which a U.S. conglomerate wants to turn into pork chops.
It stars Tilda Swinton (who has said her villainous character was inspired by Ivanka Trump), Jake Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins and Paul Dano. It’s smart, thought-provoking and fun. Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories is blessed with a great cast (Dustin Hoffman, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Emma Thompson, Rebecca Miller) and a terrific script.
It is a poignant but funny study of an unhappy New York family, less obviously a comedy than Baumbach’s other films, but still a minor masterpiece of observational wit.
I liked the Todd Haynes film Wonderstruck, starring Julianne Moore, rather less than some of my colleagues. A story of two deaf children connected across a 50-year divide, it is beautifully made, but somewhat twee and corny.
Probably the best picture I saw was the Russian-language Loveless, by Andrey Zvyagintsev, who made the brilliant 2014 film Leviathan.
It is a gripping drama about a teenage boy whose parents are divorcing acrimoniously, but must team up when he goes missing.
The title refers not only to their relationship with each other, but also with him; neither of them wants custody, which is why he scarpers. It is riveting and heartrending, and probably my tip for the Palme D’Or.