Cannes 2017 - Loveless by Andrey Zvyagintsev

Andrey Zvyagintsev made an impact in Cannes in 2014 with the bombastic, Kafka-esque nightmare Leviathan, and walked away with the award for best screenplay. He is back this year in competition with Loveless (but then you'd expect his new film to be called Loveless).

In Loveless, Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) and Boris (Alexey Rozin) are going through a messy divorce, having both found a new partner already. Their son Alyosha is the last "detail" to be sorted before they can move on with their new lives, but in the midst of a particularly acrimonious fight, he vanishes (not that they even notice at first!).

Cannes 2017 - Wonderstruck by Todd Haynes

Cannes has not always been kind to Todd Haynes. Velvet Goldmine, in competition in 1998, was stupidly missold as the next Trainspotting by its producer Film 4, hence a muted reception from an audience expecting a totally different proposition from him. Carol in 2015 was well received but had to do with half of a female acting prize, for Rooney Mara.



In Wonderstruck, the story of a young deaf boy, Ben (Oakes Fegley), who, struggling to comes into terms with the death of his mother, goes on a hunt for his father, in New York, collides with the tale of Rose (Millicent Simmonds), a deaf and mute girl in the 20's, who also escapes to the city to find her absent mother, a stage actress (Julianne Moore).

Cannes 2017 - Jupiter's Moon by Kornél Mundruczó

Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó made a big impact at the Cannes Film Festival 2014 with White God, which screened in the Un Certain Regard , and winning the sidebar selection's award for best film, a parable like nothing we had seen before, about a dog apocalypse with a social undercurrent. He now graduated to the Cannes competition, with the intriguingly named Jupiter's Moon.

In Jupiter's Moon, Aryan (Zsombor Jegér), a Syryan refugee, tries to make it to Hungary and gets shot near the border, only to find himself with the ability to fly as a result. He soon forms a partnership with corrupt doctor Stern (Merab Ninidze) who sees a way to make a quick buck out of him as well as a redemption for a recent professional fault, while the police is on their tail.

Cannes 2017 - Ismael's Ghosts by Arnaud Desplechin

There had been much noise when Cannes regular Arnaud Desplechin was turned down for the official selection in 2015, and ended up at Director's Fortnight, by the same critics who complain that "it's always the same people", proving that Cannes can never do right in the eyes of some. The French director is back in the official selection, but not in competition, his film Ismael's Ghosts opening the festival this year.

Ismael's Ghosts is a tale of two stories, focused on both the artistic and love life of film director Ismael (Matthieu Amalric). His first wife Carlotta (Marion Cotillard) disappeared twenty years ago and is presumed dead. After years of womanising, he meets then marries Sylvia (Charlotte Gainsbourg), only for Carlotta to reappear out of nowhere. We also follow the incredibly erratic shoot of his latest film, an espionage story based on the life of his younger brother, Ivan (Louis Garrel).

Suntan by Argyris Papadimitropoulos

Suntan from Greek director Argyris Papadimitropoulos starts out as a portrait of a lonely local doctor unexpectedly drawn out of his shell by a summer romance and ends, brilliantly, as a psychotic character study in the vein of Pablo Larrain’s Tony Manero (2008).

GP Kostis (Makis Papadimitriou) meets hedonistic party girl Anna (Elli Tringou) when she is rushed into his surgery one bright morning after gashing her thigh in a scooter crash. He treats the wound and endures the chaotic joking of her friends good-naturedly. In return, they hail Kostis as “the best doctor in the world” and invite him to join them at the beach. He does and seemingly becomes part of their tribe, going clubbing every night, jeopardising his professional life by staying out late and drinking too much, all the while pining for Anna to the obvious amusement of all.

Song to Song by Terrence Malick - Review

Song to Song is the third film in Terrence Malick's semi-autobiographical trilogy about love. Stylistically they're born from The Tree of Life with each being a slightly different branch. To the Wonder twirled its way through a love triangle but failed to blossom. Knight of Cups (the best of the three) was a Fellini-esque glide through Hollywood by way of tarot cards. Rick's (Christian Bale) interior was reflected out into the film's dreamy visuals and you could at least feel the buds sprouting. I'd hoped Song to Song would be a culmination of this style. The Austin set love triangle between Rooney Mara’s musician (she was born to be a Malick character), Ryan Gosling's singer-songwriter, and Michael Fassbender's power hungry producer, lands somewhere between its two predecessors.

The Eyes of My Mother by Nicolas Pesce

Fans of gory, stylish and all together disturbing horror movies rejoice, others please look away now. Written and Directed by Nicholas Pesce, The Eyes of My Mother is a directorial debut like no other; this black and white moody auteur piece may not be to everyone's liking, but is nevertheless one of the most original films of the year. Its visceral depiction of a young woman’s descent into a quiet madness is sure to strike a chord with those on the look out for a different kind of horror movie.