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Cannes Diary

Entry Seven: Sunday, May 19, 2002  --  Page Two

After shaking off the badness of Dead Room, I head back to my room and get ready for the movie I’ve most wanted to see ever since I first heard it was going to show at Cannes, PT Anderson’s new film...thankfully, I wasn’t going to be disappointed.

Punch-Drunk Love
USA, Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Lumiere: 05/19/02: 07:30pm
(****) of four
Time slept during: None.

Anderson has finally delivered his first true PT Anderson film. After films including Boogie Nights (his pitch-perfect Scorsese film), and Magnolia (his wonderful Altman film that showed signs of a budding originality in the form of some CG frogs), Anderson turns in a 90 minute drama/comedy/"musical" that stands as one of the most original films in the Festival. His choice of Adam Sandler in the lead role is inspiring, as his hapless loser look is finally given material that uses it well. The movie also features one of the most ingenious uses of music and sound ever heard in film. The entire soundtrack is the heartbeat and breath of the film, using loud, jarring sounds counterpointed against flowingly beautiful melodies to demonstrate the way Sandler’s life is turned upside-down after meeting Emily Watson. Anderson’s direction is also awe-inspiring--upon leaving the movie, my first comment was that Anderson needed to win the Direction prize and thank God that he actually did because his work is fantastic. With so many movies filmed in 1:85 anymore, there’s nothing better than see a capable director dominate a 2:35 aspect ratio with ease. The extreme quirkiness of film may keep the film from being any more than a moderate box office success, but it’s another strong punctuation point in Anderson’s young and incredibly promising career.

Demonlover
France, Directed by Olivier Assayas
Lumiere: 05/19/02: 10:30pm
(** and 1/2) of four
Time slept during: None.

A murky, ice-cold cyberthriller that gets so bogged down in its own icy evil by the end that the plot begins caving in on itself until the viewer is left feeling almost numbed to what is happening. What begins as an extremely promising corporate thriller involving cyber-porn and high-tech companies moves along at a nice pace until the deaths start piling up and the script doesn’t know what to do with them. By the end, major characters are being killed suddenly and their deaths are never mentioned again, causing the viewer to get lose their attachment to what should be a very gripping story. Connie Nielson is effective in the lead role, but her rapid turn from antagonistic ice-queen to pity-evoking protagonist doesn’t develop as well as it should, making what should be a perfectly evil ending not feel quite as emotionally stirring as it should. Music is a top-notch electronic drone provided by Sonic Youth that fits wonderfully. In the end, the film held my attention well during its long running time because I simply wanted to know where it would go next, but it just does not connect well enough to deliver. One of the bigger could-have-been’s of the Festival so far.


Afterwards, Danny, Stefan, and I grab a quick dinner at a small café (an overly expensive "cheese sandwich" consisting of a piece of cheese placed on an old, hard roll of bread) and head back to our rooms for the night.

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