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Issue 76

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Inside Out This Pixar picture may have been an out of competition screening but it charmed the festival nonetheless. Pixar has suffered with inconsistency ever since Disney took the reigns, but they are right back at the top with Inside Out. The film takes place inside 11-year-old Riley's head and her emotions are the central characters. As she moves to San Francisco, she has to learn about and cope with change, emotional pain, empathy and letting go. It sounds pretty heavy but in true Pixar style, they tackle emotion with humour, with top comic vocal talent in the shape of Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith and Bill Hader. Carol Based on Patricia Highsmith's novel, Todd Haynes has created a beautifully shot, richly detailed, intelligent film. Set in early fifties New York, Carol tells the story of a young woman (Rooney Mara) working in a department store who falls for an older, married woman (Cate Blanchett). Both ladies turned in excellent performances, Blanchett particularly wowed critics, although evidently not the judging panel, who awarded Mara the joint Best Actress prize. Carol captivated Cannes-goers, so be sure to catch it when it goes on release later this year. The Lobster The innovative and unique Yorgos Lanthimos, of Dogtooth fame, makes his English language debut with The Lobster, which is set in a hotel and grounds in the near future, where single people have 45 days to couple up or they get turned into an animal of their choice. The original premise and big name cast - Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman, John C. Reilly, Lea Seydoux, Ben Wishaw – won over the Cannes judges, as they awarded it the Jury Prize, and we think this dark rom-com is well worth a watch. Son of Saul The Grand Prix winner directed by Laszlo Nemes has been widely praised for its fresh take on a well-told but harrowing subject. The Hungarian drama centres on a Jewish prisoner helping the Nazis with the extermination work in Auschwitz. During body disposal, he finds a body of a boy who he takes to be his son and tries to give him a proper burial. Saul's face is the focus of many of the film's long takes, with all the surrounding events happening on the edges of the frame. In doing so, Nemes creates an individual drama within the horror and draws us further into the action. All in all, an astonishing directorial debut. Dheepan Directed by Jacques Audiard, Dheepan tells the story of three Sri Lankan refugees as they pretend to be a family in order to gain asylum in Paris. The drama was the surprise winner of the Palme d'Or – although an accomplished picture, well-acted and gripping for the most part, it was not met with a stellar reaction from the critics. We'll just have to wait and see whether the general public can see what had the judges hooked. Irrational Man The general consensus has been that Irrational Man is fine but forgettable. It reaches for some kind of philosophical statement but never quite makes it, and it doesn't flourish as either comedy or drama. Joaquin Phoenix plays a philosophy professor going through an existential crisis, whilst also having an affair with unhappily married fellow lecturer (Parker Posey), and a fling with one of his students (Emma Stone). And it's also a turns into a murder mystery. In terms of Allen's recent work, it's better than Magic In The Moonlight but not up there with Blue Jasmine. Sea of Trees Gus van Sant's film probably fared the worst at this year's festival, being roundly booed. Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Watts and Ken Watanabe star in the tale of an American businessman who travels to Aokigahara, a Japanese forest that's also a notorious suicide spot, to end his life. He comes across a Japanese man who has attempted to the same but had a change of heart, and they form a friendship. Sea of Trees is overly sentimental, shallow and underdeveloped, but does leave us with one important question - is the McConaissance over? 16 Issue 76 / 2015 FILM guestlist.net Cannes Film Festival 2015 We take a look at the films that got everyone on La Croisette buzzing, both good and bad

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