But sprinkled among these amorous offerings were a handful of entries that will be significant players in the ’21-’22 awards season. At the same time, films like Annette, Benedetta, and Palme d’Or winner Titane all featured sex scenes that will have audiences talking through awards season. Red Rocket, Bergman Island, A Tale of Love and Desire, and Mothering Sunday all centered on sexed-up love stories. To put it plainly, this might have been the horniest lineup ever to grace the French festival. Nostalgic needle drops and narcissistic men may be the only things that rivaled the amount of sex we saw on screen the past few days.
This year we had narrative tales that mirrored what we have seen in our home communities: broken people looking for belonging, tales of isolation and regret, stories that articulate the yearning for family, and a longing for love – or, more precisely, lust. Still, we could easily discern that the festival programmers crafted a program tailored to an audience that has been trapped at home under economic uncertainty and grappling with the mental and physical wounds of 18 months spent battling COVID-19. Trying to pull a theme from this year’s fest would be a difficult affair, given the varied selection. Still, despite all the changes, the 74th Cannes Film Festival was as it has always been, filled with exceptional characters, jaw-dropping camera work, astounding debuts, equally astounding disappointments, a little controversy, and best of all, the most impressive and avant-garde films in world cinema. Most of the galas – which previously were so packed that even people with tickets were turned away – frequently did not have enough attendees to open the balcony of the Grand Lumiere Theater. Those lucky enough to make their way to Cannes found tickets easily available and screenings just half full. From the COVID-19 protocol restrictions - and those same restrictions being ignored - to the record low attendance, everything combined to give us the most stress-free year in recent memory. Being the first major festival to conduct an in-person fest since the pandemic pause in 2020 meant all eyes were on the red carpet of the French Rivera the Venice Film Festival had a scaled-down affair in late 2020, but it paled in comparison to what we saw on the Croisette. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor.There has never been (and there will likely never be) a Cannes Film Festival like the one that just wrapped. Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. The same can be said about the band, who carved out their own unique path while speaking their minds (they don’t exactly have nice words regarding the hippie movement) and pushing one another towards abstract sonic excellence with dark and relatable lyrics. Early on, Lou mentions he enjoyed playing in gay spaces simply because he thought they were awesome people to be around.
The Velvet Underground also proves to be a fitting project for Todd Haynes ( Carol), observing Lou Reed’s fascination with homosexuality which splinters off into other interests such as degradation. As Lou Reed and John Cale found themselves involved with Andy Warhol’s art collective, The Factory, such a dynamic led to record deals and experimental filmmaking while adding and removing band members. However, it is refreshing to watch a documentary that, while naturally focused on the rise to fame, doesn’t so much has a disastrous fall arc but rather the occasional visionary difference that leads to parting ways. Granted, while there is a never-ending artsy touch to the proceedings (split-screen presentation showing photographs and archival footage set to audio narration, and a general look at the band’s intersection with film and art that play out in provocative videos), it still amounts to your standard talking-heads execution. The Velvet Underground explores the multiple threads that converged to bring together one of the most influential bands in rock and roll.Ĭelebrated director Todd Haynes’ looks at the avant-garde New York-based 1960s rock band The Velvet Underground is every bit an experimental documentary as they were a group. Featuring Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker, Nico, Andy Warhol, John Waters, Mary Woronov, Amy Taubin, Merrill Reed Weiner, and Doug Yule.