POMO

Based on an actual event. Kidnapped is set in the second half of the 19th century when, from today’s perspective, the Church was still a regular criminal enterprise. The film’s viewer-pleasing editing comprehensively captures the perception of events by all involved parties – the Jewish parents whose child is forcibly abducted by the Church in order to convert him to Christianity; the abducted child’s brother, who stubbornly believes in his rescue even after many years have passed; the Church representatives who believe they are exercising divine power; and the Pope himself, who thinks he is accountable only to God. A devastating injustice perpetrated by a heartless organisation blinded by power, the fruit of which is separation, suffering and the loss of family ties and even one’s own identity. [Cannes FF]

A fragile historical film about the love of food and the love between Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, who are united by said love of food. Both of them are masterful cooks who are able to talk knowledgeably about food and they devote themselves to the gourmet enjoyment of it. A significant part of the runtime comprises slow, elegant shots of meal preparation, while another significant part consists of shots of people eating – either just the two of them or their guests. The film is set almost entirely in the interiors of a house, is thin in terms of plot and is held together by the subtly portrayed, nobly romantic relationship of the central couple, filled with mutual respect. If you enjoy cooking, baking and elegant French dining, add one or two stars to my rating. [Cannes FF]

Inside the Yellow Cocoon is an extremely slow and unexciting “spiritual journey” undertaken by a young man in order to understand the meaning of life, which was changed for him overnight by the tragic death of his sister. Long shots, talking with people, ordinary background scenery comprising the Vietnamese countryside. For three gruelling hours, there is none of the build-up or plot development that we are used to seeing in movies. I can’t imagine being in such a state of mind that this film would better suit me. [Cannes FF]

Veganism is out – don’t eat at all and you’ll become a saint. The progressive Jessica Hausner again composes wonderful industry exteriors and interiors, this time with an industrial and pulp touch (the luxury house is incredible), and the story delves into several issues: the dangers of manipulation at the hands of a mentor, pubescent self-discovery and, ironically, the increasing adoption of emerging diet trends. Her abstract world of characters with almost Wes Anderson-esque style is playful while being both funny and serious, but it is still not mature enough to leave a deeper and lasting impression. [Cannes FF]

Army CGI dogs with deactivated “control chips” bite and eat the victims of a pile-up on a foggy, decaying mega-bridge 70 meters above the ocean. Seriously. Formulaic characters with the typical overacting, screaming Korean actors and every possible genre cliché, including the main protagonist in a truck hanging off of the bridge. And an exceedingly dumb happy ending. Or would you expect a different ending here? [Cannes FF]

A metaphorical night-time journey to freedom and a better life. A lighthouse with an old keeper in the middle Lebanon built up with towers, a mystical fortune-teller and a couple heading to the coast to catch a boat that is supposed to take them to Europe. Everything said and done in the film has a meta hallucinatory dimension, but the interconnectedness of it all holds it together and the actors’ facial expressions become almost hypnotic. But this film is certainly not for everyone. A typical work from the heavily anti-mainstream Cannes section with the fitting name “Acid” (as in LSD). [Cannes FF]

A sensitive film about the joy, anticipation and depth of disappointment that a teenage girl experiences while on holiday with her friends. Though at first glance it seems to be just another needless Netflix movie, it turns out to be an extraordinarily perceptive chamber drama due to the gradual revealing of the main protagonist’s emotional and psychological experience of events. Lead actress Mia McKenna-Bruce delivers a superb performance and, in particular, director Molly Manning Walker does an admirable job with her debut feature. [Cannes FF]

A dialogue-based exploration of a woman’s complicated sexuality through flashbacks to her youth, childhood, relationship with her father, etc. Though this is an interesting subject for viewers, it is conveyed in a banal and overly safe manner reminiscent of a family film, without any creative artistic investment. The only part of the film that isn’t hackneyed in cinematic terms is the depiction of the first signs of sexual development in childhood. [Cannes FF]

A tribute to selfless paramedics for their dedicated work in a job that takes an extraordinary psychological toll, especially in New York, where they are more hated than appreciated by the junkies and criminals they rescue. More stress and terror than in Scorsese’s Bringing out the Dead, made as intense as possible in every scene. Black Flies offers a constant melancholic mood of hopelessness, assiduous acting and an unrelenting dramatic drive, but there is also a slight superficiality and some borrowing from elsewhere. I most enjoyed the intimate scenes of naked bodies touching, healing all of the bad things around them. [Cannes FF]

Pulp Fiction’s motif involving the necessity of disposing of an inadvertent corpse, effectively elaborated into a feature-length film in the Moroccan suburban “wilderness”, where you can’t dig a hole in the ground with a shovel. The core of the drama comprises a father/son team of losers who have to deal with the situation. Aware of his responsibility for the son he has dragged into this situation, the father makes one bad decision after another. An authentic setting and symbolic scenes in the increasingly tense atmosphere of one long, stressful night. And a crew of interesting characters among whom the man and his boy seek help. This impressive drama received a long standing ovation. [Cannes FF]