The Waiting Game

Day 7   

Oh the times they are a'changing here in Cannes. The first half of the festival was really about us seeking out independent, weird, indie and essentially unknown films. There was some competition or critically regarded movies sprinkled in between. But now, everyday is riddled with star-studded, seriously anticipated films at the festival So, in order to make into these premieres or later showings it requires you to arrive up to two hours in advance and just, wait.  

This makes mornings even earlier, as I've grown fond to the 8:30 a.m. premieres. Begging for tickets is such a hassle, and at the AM premieres many people don't show, so we can walk in with our badges. This morning we caught the 6:40 train to wait in line for Julieta. 

I ended up being disappointed with the film. Not to say that I didn't like it, I just didn't love it and I really thought I would. I find mother-daughter relationships something so compelling, at a greater societal level, but also because my mother is my soul and best friend. Julieta just missed the mark for me. It moved very slowly and was really just about the mother and her life. The cinematography really bothered me, as some shots looked like they could have been taken from a completely different film or shoot by another person. The aesthetics did not flow. 

We then tried to wait for Paterson and did nooooot get in after an hour of waiting. Cue the tears. With  my only other plans involving a night showing, a few of us spent our afternoon meeting people at the AmPav, shopping, and getting charcuterie and rosé at our favorite wine bar. 

That evening a group of us attended the night showing of Personal Shopper. Which was, hmmm.. BIZARRE. After hearing that it was booed by critics at the premiere, I was anticipating one of the worst movies yet. I actually found myself not hating it. This was mostly due to Kristen Stewart’s performance, which was remarkable. She played a neurotic, scared yet determined medium who also works as a personal stylist for a famous actress. The movie did suffer from some major flaws, like the 35-minute scene in which Stewart texted a ghost. I honestly thought the movie could have been sponsored by Apple. Also, her dialogue could have been stronger. The entire theatre was erupting in laughter at one point, which was in zero way the movie’s intentions.

After the film, a group of us went out to the petit majestic. My personal highlight was the McDonald’s run after.