It’s not news that the French love Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) or that Terrence Malick can make a beautiful, profound and confusing film (The Tree of Life). And we’ll get to see Midnight in Paris for ourselves this weekend and The Tree of Life in a couple of weeks. But I’m especially looking forward to four more films screened at the festival: The Artist, Drive, The Kid with a Bike and Polisse.
The film that captured the most fans at Cannes is The Artist, a mostly silent film about a silent film star at the advent of talking pictures. By all accounts, it’s a visually and emotionally satisfying film. The French actor Jean Dujardin won Cannes’ best actor award; John Goodman, James Cromwell and Penelope Ann Miller also appear. The Artist will be released in the US by The Weinstein Company.
Drive is an action movie starring Ryan Gosling as a stunt driver by day, criminal getaway driver by night. It’s getting attention for the emotionally vacant character played by Gosling and the stylishness of the car chases and violence. Drive will be released in the US in September by FilmDistrict.
The Kid with a Bike is the latest from the Belgian Bardennes brothers, two of my favorite film makers (The Son, Rosetta). a 12-year-old boy wants to find the father who dumped him at a children’s home, but meets a woman who becomes his de fact foster mom. The Kid with the Bike will be released in the US by Sundance Selects.
Polisse is a reputedly riveting French police procedural about the child protective services unit. It stars an ensemble cast led by Karin Viard (Paris, Potiche, Time Out). Polisse will be released in the US by IFC Films.
Here’s the trailer for The Artist.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgAvXlG68Y8]