by InTrieste
As the world’s best and brightest directors are back in the French Riviera to showcase their latest films and compete to receive the coveted Palme d’Or, our team got into the Cannes spirit by previewing the top five films at the festival that everyone’s talking about. All five movies are set to screen in Italian cinemas later this year.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Was the two-hour wait to get into the press conference with the big Italian-American (yes, we said it) stars worth it? Absolutely. Waiting under the scorching sun in the infamous Cannes line to watch Scorcese’s latest hit? Yes and yes. Cannes just saw the premiere of Martin Scorcese’s first film since The Irishman, and he’s brought his two most iconic stars with him: Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon. Based on the book with the same name, it’s set in the 1920s, following a series of murders in Oklahoma of members of the Osage tribe. The horrible deaths spark a major investigation by the FBI. DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone play Ernest and Mollie Burkhart, a key couple in the investigation, while DeNiro plays William Hale, a cattleman and a prominent figure on the Osage reservation.
Asteroid City
Asteroid City is Wes Anderson’s latest star-studded film project, and sees him leap into sci-fi (hey there, Trieste Science + Fiction festival). Set in 1955, it concerns the exploits of the students and parents attending a Junior Stargazer competition taking place in a remote desert town in America. As the group of strangers get together for recreation and competition, there’s a concern that there might really be something extra-terrestrial looming over them. Be ready for plenty of cinematic eye-candy. The cast includes Scarlett Johannson, Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Jeffery Wright, Tilda Swinton, Maya Hawke, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston and many more.
Jeanne Du Barry
French director Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry will be making headlines for at least one reason: it’s marketed as Johnny Depp’s comeback film. His first major role since the conclusion of the trial with Amber Heard, it sees him step into the role of Louis XV, King of France in the mid 1700s. Opposite him is the director herself as the titular Jeanne du Barry, a working class woman who is intent on climbing the French social ladder and making a name for herself. Naturally, the pair fall into passionate love for each other. It was the opening film at the festival this year, and is set to screen in cinemas and land on Netflix later this year.
May December
Titled May December (which resulted in many questions during the press conference at the festival due to translation barriers), it is the newest film from Todd Haines, best known for directing the Oscar nominated Carol (that was playing at Trieste’s Giotto movie theater back in 2016). It centers around a married couple, played by Julianne Moore and Charles Metlon, who were once famous in the media for their tabloid romance that gained nationwide attention, and now try to keep out of the limelight. However, when an actress, played by Natalie Portman, travels to their home in Maine to take notes and study the wife, who she’s set to play in a new film, their relationship, already unconventional due to a large age gap, comes under serious strain- and may even collapse.
The Zone of Interest
The Zone of Interest is directed by Johnathan Glazer, who is back with a Holocaust drama that is both a distressing and powerful watch. It’s set and filmed in Auschwitz, and is based on the book of the same name by Martin Amis, chronicling the life of a Nazi officer who has become infatuated by the wife of the camp commandant. The commandant and his wife are determined to build a happy and stable life with their small family, but this becomes increasingly threatened by the officer’s feelings. The film features a predominantly German cast, including Sandra Hüller and Christian Friedel.
