Cannes Film Festival 2021: films to look forward to

Annette, dir. Leos Carax (In Competition, Opening Film)

The pop-rock duo Sparks will enjoy a cinematic resurgence this year. Firstly, Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) is putting them front and centre in his first-ever documentary The Sparks Brothers. But Annette, the new Sparks musical, wields an even deeper curiosity – being the first movie by French surrealist filmmaker Leos Carax since the nightmarish Holy Motors in 2012.

Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard star as a celebrity couple – one's a stand-up comedian, the other is a famous singer – who conceive a child with an exceptional gift. If Annette is anything like Holy Motors, prepare to experience a dark, befuddling dreamscape.

Photo: EPK/Amazon Studios

Benedetta, dir. Paul Verhoeven (In Competition)

Paul Verhoeven is no stranger to erotic thrillers. He did direct Basic Instinct after all, which contains that Sharon Stone scene.

Verhoeven's new film Benedetta finds carnal desires in a 15^th-century monastery, following the nun Benedetta Carlini (Virginie Efira) who performs miracles. She takes in a younger nun, Bartolomea (Daphne Patakia) and embarks on a passionate, sacrilegious affair with her. Charlotte Rampling stars.

Photo: Organic/MUBI

Bergman Island, dir. Mia Hansen-Løve (In Competition)

Off the Swedish coast lies Fårö, an island now famous for its cinematic heritage. The existential auteur Ingmar Bergman wrote and shot a lot of his movies there: including Persona, Through A Glass Darkly, and Scenes From A Marriage.

French director Mia Hansen-Løve (Eden) uses Fårö as the setting for her latest film Bergman Island. Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps star as a married couple, both filmmakers, who hope to find inspiration on the island. But their relationship is tested as reality and fantasy begin to blur. Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak) also stars.

Photo: Organic/MUBI

Cow, dir. Andrea Arnold (Cannes Premiere)

Following her directorial stint on Big Little Lies, British filmmaker Andrea Arnold is now releasing a small passion project. In Cow, she examines the importance of cattle to our lives.

Very little is known about the film, besides Arnold's brief summary. She describes it as ‘an endeavour to consider cows. To move us closer to them. To see both their beauty and the challenge of their lives. Not in a romantic way but in a real way. It’s a film about one dairy cow’s reality and acknowledging her great service to us. When I look at Luma, our cow, I see the whole world in her.’

Photo: BBC Films/Twitter

The French Dispatch, dir. Wes Anderson (In Competition)

It’s easy to know when you’re watching a Wes Anderson movie, and his latest project looks delightfully familiar. The symmetrical cinematography, the colourful characters, and the starry catalogue of bankable names are all present – now thrown into the world of journalism in the 1950s.

The story follows a group of journos working for The French Dispatch, a news magazine that covers an array of stories ranging from the arts to politics. The incredible cast includes Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Elisabeth Moss, Timothée Chalamet, Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Léa Seydoux.

Photo: Getty/Disney

Memoria, dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul (In Competition)

The Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul (nicknamed ‘Joe’) is one of the most respected directors on the arthouse scene. He never submits to the studio system nor (until recently) ventures beyond his home country.

For Memoria, his first journey into the English language, he flies across the world to Colombia with Tilda Swinton. She plays Jessica Holland, a Scottish horticulturist visiting her sister in Bogotá. In her travels, she meets a local musician and a French archaeologist who’s building tunnels under the Andes mountains. But she's followed by strange noises, making her question her entire identity.

Photo: Match Factory Productions

Mothering Sunday, dir. Eva Husson (Cannes Premiere)

The British have a knack for period dramas about love and class. For Mothering Sunday, based on the novel by Graham Swift, director Eva Husson delves into the genre and finds many familiar stars.

Olivia Colman and Josh O’Connor are reunited following their two-season run on The Crown. Colin Firth is there, too, with the Bafta-nominated Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Gangs of London) and Shirley star Odessa Young.

The story is set during the roaring 20s in Beechwood, England. The wealthy Paul (O’Connor) is getting engaged, but he’s having a secret affair with the neighbouring housemaid Jane Fairchild (Young). That night is the last they can spend together.

Photo: Freuds/BFI/Film4

Titane, dir. Julia Ducournau (In Competition)

In 2016, the French filmmaker Julia Ducournau made deep red waves with her gruesome debut: the cannibal horror film Raw. Now, she’s back to engender more nightmares in Titane.

But what’s it about? Hard to say. The trailer gives very little away: weird dancing, brutal fights, and a child wearing some sort of metal apparatus. The synopsis reads: ‘Following a series of unexplained crimes, a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for 10 years’. This brief description is proceeded by a definition of Titane as ‘A metal highly resistant to heat and corrosion, with high tensile strength alloys.’

Photo: Altitude

The Velvet Underground, dir. Todd Haynes (Out of Competition)

The Velvet Underground formed the foundations of punk, and proved an integral influence on rock music as a whole. Their first album, featuring lead singer Lou Reed and the German musician Nico, is one of the greatest albums ever made: mixing avant-garde experimentalism with gritty lyrics about life on the street. The result is a strange, hallucinogenic journey. It’s no wonder that the best track is simply called Heroin.

Dark Waters director Todd Haynes examines the band’s genesis and influence in his new Apple documentary The Velvet Underground. The band is in good hands; previously, Haynes has tackled musical subjects like Bob Dylan (I’m Not There), Stephen Sondheim (Six By Sondheim), and the days of glam-rock in Britain (Velvet Goldmine).

Photo: Apple

Vortex, dir. Gaspar Noé (Cannes Premiere)

The Argentine filmmaker Gaspar Noé is one of the bad boys of Cannes. He has prompted mass walk-outs with controversial cult movies like Love and Irreversible.

He’s back with the elusive Vortex, described as a ‘documentary-style film revolving around the last days of an elderly couple’. Bizarrely, the Italian giallo horror filmmaker Dario Argento (Suspiria) has a starring role. As always, Noé seems intent on creating an experience you won’t forget.

Photo: Gaspar Noé in Climax (2018), Sky/Arrow Films