Latest news with #DanielAuteuil
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Resurrection' Review: Director Bi Gan's Beguiling, Beautifully Realized Journey Through the Life, Death and Possible Rebirth of Cinema
One of the most audacious young auteurs working today, 35-year-old Chinese director Bi Gan makes movies that don't pull you in as much as they slowly wash over you. Moody, melancholic and filled with daunting technical feats, especially the director's signature logistics-defying long takes, his films are beautifully realized meditations on nostalgia and loss in which the cinema is often a character itself. In his beguiling new feature Resurrection, movies are both subject and object of a story spanning a hundred years of film history, from the silent era to the end of the last century. Reflecting on the seventh art's past, present and possible future at a moment when many believe it to be in its death throes, Bi Gan has crafted a time-tripping, genre-jumping paean to the big screen in which he revives the films he loves and then buries them a second time over — hoping, perhaps, to resurrect cinema in the process. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'A Private Life' Review: A Delightfully Paired Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil Escape Injury in a Messy but Pleasurable Genre Collision Cannes: Hasan Hadi's 'The President's Cake' Wins Directors' Fortnight Audience Award 'Heads or Tails?' Review: John C. Reilly Plays Buffalo Bill in a Wacky Italy-Set Western With Ambition to Burn Tailor-made for those viewers who fantasize about being trapped in the Criterion closet, this dreamy 156-minute behemoth is certainly not for mainstream arthouse fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the next Oscar favorite. But it's a rewarding watch that gives us another idea of what movies can do, even if Bi Gan seems to be mostly mourning their demise. Death and dreams are indeed at the center of a phantasmagorical narrative divided into five long chapters, plus a short epilogue, each told in the specific style of its epoch. Bi loosely connects them through a premise that only a crazy film lover like him could conjure up: In a parallel world that may be our own, people no longer dream and can therefore live forever. The select few who choose to keep dreaming are known as 'Fantasmers,' leading existences that burn brightly but shortly. And then there are 'The Other Ones,' whose job is to awaken the Fantasmers from their illusive slumbers. Does that make sense? Too bad, but anyway plot and plausibility are far less important than the experiential qualities Resurrection offers those willing to accept its fairy tale-like pitch. Bi guides us into his fantasy world during an opening section, set during the silent film era and narrated with intertitles, where The Other One (Shu Qi, star of several classic Hou Hsiao-Hsien movies) pursues a Nosferatu-like Fantasmer (Jackson Yee) across a merry-go-round of studio décors straight out of the German Expressionist period. You don't have to know your movie history to understand what Bi is doing in that sequence, though it certainly helps. His film is packed with nods to other films that trace the evolution of cinematic style and craft, from the jerky hand-cranked illusions of the 1910s and 20s to the roving Steadicam shots of the past era. Early on, the score by French electro group M83 either copies or barely remixes Bernard Herrmann's themes from Vertigo — which, as all good Hitchcock fans know, is another story of death and resurrection. Those themes quite literally bleed into the film's succeeding chapters, which encompass a WWII-era film noir involving a trenchcoated investigator (Mark Chao); a Buddhist temple in the 1960s or 70s whose crumbling ruins give birth to a menacing spirit; a tale of magic and trickery involving a rich mobster (Zhang Zhijian) regretting the loss of his child; and a dazzling thriller set in a red-light district on the eve of the last millennium. The Fantasmer reappears in each section as a different character with a new look, propelled from epoch to epoch by The Other One. (Don't ask how this all happens.) He never ages and can seemingly live forever, just like the F.W. Murnau character of the silent movie part — or the actual vampire we see in the penultimate chapter. When, toward the start of the movie, 35mm film stock is inserted into the Fantasmer's back, Bi seems to be suggesting that vampires and cinema have a lot in common: Both can survive eternally as long as they remain in the dark. For the latter, that means being projected onto a screen in front of an audience, which is why Resurrection begins and ends with scenes inside of a movie theater, one coming to life and the other melting away. This is heady stuff and probably won't interest those who can't recognize many scenes — such as a recreation of the Lumière brothers' pioneering short L'Arroseur Arrosé, which gets projected later on — as metaphors for, or homages to, film itself. And yet Bi's talent for creating transfixing set-pieces, which at times recalls the work of Andrei Tarkovsky, allows you to get submerged by his movie without always knowing what you're watching. You just need to keep your eyes open and go with the flow. And it's worth doing that in order to reach the 1999 chapter, during which the director stages another formidable, seemingly impossible long take that sees the Fantasmer and his elusive love interest (Li Gengxi) wandering through a riverside wasteland, from the closing minutes of the last century until the dawn of a new one. Reteaming with DP Dong Jingsong, who pulled off a similar feat in Long Day's Journey into Night, Bi tries to top himself this time by shifting points of view within the same unending shot, racing down corridors and into rave parties, then into a karaoke scene interrupted by brutal gunfire, until we're suddenly aboard a ship as the sun begins to rise on the year 2000. Such sequence-shots, now known unfortunately as 'oners,' tend to be destined for film lovers as well, who can admire the high level of craft it takes to pull them off. Bi is bold and unabashed when it comes to displaying (some would say showing off) his technique, nor does he hide his many references (in the case of the red-filtered long take, there are hints of Wong Kar-Wai's Fallen Angels and Hou's Millennium Mambo). He also doesn't hide the fact that Resurrection is both a celebration of the art he loves and something like an inhumation. It looks back at its past with longing and regret, while failing to clearly see its future — especially at a time when people go to the movies much less than they used to. And yet there's a hopefulness in Bi's enigmatic concoction, not necessarily in what it's saying but in how it's being said, finding exquisite new forms in old and dead ones so that the cinema can keep on living. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jodie Foster cuts a stylish figure in a cream floral fringe dress as she joins co-star Daniel Auteuil and Rebecca Zlotowski for A Private Life photocall at Cannes Film Festival
Jodie Foster showed off her impeccable sense of style as she was joined by Daniel Auteuil and Rebecca Zlotowski at the photocall for their latest movie, A Private Life, in Cannes, France, on Wednesday. The American actress, 62, cut a stylish figure in a cream floral fringe maxi dress as she posed alongside her co-star and movie director at Palais des Festivals during the Cannes Film Festival. Jodie turned heads in the chic sleeveless ensemble, which featured a high neckline, a bold floral print, and bohemian fringe hem. She added inches to her frame with gold open-toe platform heels before further accessorising her look with a silver diamond bracelet and dainty gold hoop earrings. The Silence of the Lambs star styled her short blonde locks straight for the evening, and showcased her natural beauty wearing minimal makeup. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Meanwhile her co-star Daniel, 75, looked suave in a beige zip-up bomber jacket, white button-up shirt, and stone jeans. He sported a pair of off-white lace-up trainers as he beamed for the cameras alongside his co-star. While French movie director Rebecca, 45, exuded elegance in a black dress as she joined her colleagues for several photos. Her chic ensemble featured an asymmetrical button-up fastening and a belt to cinch in her waist. She added height to her frame with pointed black court heels and accessorised with a pair of trendy tortoiseshell shades. Later in the day, Jodie attended a press conference for the new movie, where she revealed that she had previously been offered leading roles in French films before making Vie Privée, but was 'too scared' to take them on. The Oscar winner is fluent in the language, having attended a French school while growing up in Los Angeles. She told Variety: 'I had secondary parts (in French films) before, but I was actually afraid, The Silence of the Lambs star styled her short blonde locks straight for the evening, and showcased her natural beauty wearing minimal makeup 'A number of directors offered me projects, but I was too scared to act in French. I thought someone who was more familiar with French should do so. But I don't really remember how things worked out this time around.' Earlier in the press conference, Jodie said leading a French movie was something she had 'wanted to do for a long time', but learning all of the dialogue was a huge challenge for her. She added: 'The great thing is that when I act in French, I'm a totally different person. I have a much higher voice, I'm much less confident, and I get very frustrated because I can't express myself as well.' The movie, which premiered at the festival on Tuesday evening, received an impressive eight-minute standing ovation, according to Variety. The new psychological thriller sees Jodie's character, Lilian Steiner, launch a private investigation into the death of one of her patients after she becomes convinced she has been murdered. Directed and co-written by Rebecca, Jodie stars in the movie alongside the likes of Daniel, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric and Vincent Lacoste. This year's Cannes Film Festival is taking place in the wake of Trump's vow to enact tariffs on international films. Cannes, where filmmakers, sales agents and journalists gather from around the world, is the Olympics of the big screen, with its own golden prize, the Palme d´Or, to give out at the end. Filmmakers come from nearly every corner of the globe to showcase their films while dealmakers work through the night to sell finished films or packaged productions to various territories. 'You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation,' says Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, who's returning to Cannes with 'The Secret Agent, a thriller set during Brazil 's dictatorship. 'You've got to really prepare for the whole experience because it's quite intense - not very far from the feeling of approaching a roller coaster as you go up the steps at the Palais.' Trump sent shock waves through Hollywood and the international film community when he announced on May 4 that all movies 'produced in Foreign Lands' will face 100 percent tariffs. The White House has said no final decisions have been made. Options being explored include federal incentives for U.S.-based productions, rather than tariffs. But the announcement was a reminder of how international tensions can destabilise even the oldest cultural institutions. The Cannes Film Festival originally emerged in the World War II years, when the rise of fascism in Italy led to the founding of an alternative to the then-government-controlled Venice Film Festival. In the time since, Cannes' resolute commitment to cinema has made it a beacon to filmmakers. Countless directors have come to make their name. This year is no different, though some of the first-time filmmakers at Cannes are already particularly well-known. Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water), Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great) and Harris Dickinson (Urchin) have all unveiled their feature directorial debuts in Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar section. Many Cannes veterans have returned, including Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning), Robert De Niro - who received an honorary Palme d´Or 49 years after Taxi Driver premiered in Cannes - and Quentin Tarantino, who paid tribute to low-budget Western director George Sherman. Meanwhile, Scarlett's directorial debut, Eleanor The Great, will be unveiled on May 20. However, in the wake of his legal battle with former co-star Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni is not expected to attend. Over recent years, the star-studded extravaganza has arguably won more attention for the outfits worn by its celebrity guests than the roster of feature films being screened on the Croisette. But new nudity rules, devised for 'the sake of decency,' have been implemented at this year's festival. According to organisers, the austere move is an attempt to stifle the celebrity trend for 'naked dresses' - namely provocative outfits that reveal considerably more than they conceal - on the red carpet. 'For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as any other area of the festival,' states a Cannes festival document. 'The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.' The new psychological thriller sees Jodie's character, Lilian Steiner, launch a private investigation into the death of one of her patients after she becomes convinced she has been murdered The surprise new policy features in a recent festival-goers charter - released with a series of outlines regarding expected public behaviour. Guests are expected to converge on the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière for some of the highest-profile film screenings across a packed two-week schedule in Cannes. It's understood that the iconic venue now adopts a more conservative dress code, with suits, dinner jackets, and floor-length evening gowns generally favoured over headline-grabbing ensembles. Classic little black dresses, cocktail dresses, pant-suits, dressy tops and elegant sandals, 'with or without a heel', will also be permitted. While the decision to implement a more stringent policy will be a first, it is not known if French TV broadcasters, wary of airing nudity, played a role in its enforcement. Major red carpet events, including the Cannes Film Festival, are aired in France by France Télévisions. Recently attracting more models and influencers than actors and filmmakers, the annual ceremony has seen an increase in risque red carpet fashion statements. In 2021, American supermodel Bella Hadid bared her cleavage in a plunging black gown while attending a screening of Tre Piani (Three Floors). She pulled a similar stunt three years later, with guests at the 2024 gala left speechless after she attended the premiere of Donald Trump's biopic The Apprentice completely braless beneath a sheer brown evening dress.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A Private Life review – Jodie Foster is a sleuthing shrink in French-language Hitchcockian mystery
Rebecca Zlotowski serves up a genial, preposterous psychological mystery caper: the tale of an American psychoanalyst in Paris, watchably played by Jodie Foster in elegant French, who suspects that a patient who reportedly committed suicide was actually murdered. Zlotowski is perhaps channelling Hitchcock or De Palma, or even late-period Woody Allen – or maybe Zlotowski has, like so many of us, fallen under the comedy spell of Only Murders in the Building on TV and fancied the idea of bringing its vibe to Paris and transforming the mood – slightly – into something more serious. Foster is classy shrink Lilian Steiner, stunned at the news that her client Paula Cohen-Solal (Virginie Efira) has taken her own life. She is also furiously confronted by Paula's grieving widower Simon (Mathieu Amalric), who believes she bears some responsibility for her death, having prescribed antidepressants which were apparently taken in overdose. But a tense visit from Paula's daughter Valérie (Luàna Bajrami) leads her to suspect foul play. Soon, she and her tolerant ex-husband Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil) are putting people under surveillance and generally staking them out; then someone breaks into Lilian's private office and steals the minidiscs on which she records analysis sessions. Things get even weirder: Lilian, stressed out and drinking, pays a visit to a cheesy hypnotherapist (Sophie Guillemin) who regresses her into some kind of past-life dream state in which she and Paula were lovers, playing in the string section of a Paris orchestra during the Nazi occupation and one of the Hitler militia is her estranged son Julien (Vincent Lacoste). Huh? Lilian's own analyst, incidentally, is played in cameo by iconic documentary-maker Frederick Wiseman, and he angers her by raising the painful question of Lilian's mother – a plot point that is not pursued and may have been lost in the edit. But what is the point of these bizarre Nazi orchestra scenes with Simon conducting, his baton transformed into a revolver? They are striking and amusing (and maybe show the influence of 40s movies such as Nightmare Alley or The Seventh Veil). Do they reveal Lilian's concern with antisemitism? She certainly objects to a bigoted wisecrack from the hypnotherapist about Freud. Her ex-husband is an ophthalmologist who has treated her for problems with tear-ducts; again, it could signify something about Lilian's problems with compassion, or perhaps it's just the pretext for a bit of high-spirited comedy, a style that Foster carries off rather well, despite being hardly a natural. Vie Privée canters along to a faintly silly, slightly anticlimactic conclusion and audiences might have been expecting a bigger and more sensational twist. Yet Foster's natural charisma sells it. Vie Privée (Private Life) screened at the Cannes film festival.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ellie Goulding exudes glamour in an elegant strapless brown gown as she attends Cannes Film Festival's A Private Life premiere
Ellie Goulding exuded glamour as she graced the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival 's A Private Life premiere on Tuesday. The British singer, 38, stunned in an elegant strapless brown gown, which featured a coordinating neck scarf. The show-stopping ensemble boasted a fitted corset bodice flowing into a wrap-style skirt with a graceful train. She paired the look with a pair of gold sandal heels and accessorised with statement earrings. Ellie swept her golden locks into soft, side-swept curls and completed her look with a bronzed makeup palette that enhanced her radiant complexion. The songstress appeared in high spirits as she posed up a storm on the red carpet before heading into the star-studded premiere. A Private Life (Vie privée) is a French-psychological thriller film in which Jodie Foster stars as psychiatrist Lilian Steiner. Her character decides to launch a private investigation into the death of one of her patients after she becomes convinced she has been murdered. Directed and co-written by Rebecca Zlotowski, Jodie is starring alongside the likes of Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric and Vincent Lacoste. Jodie, who is fluent in French, has previously starred in other French-language productions including Fleur Bleu when she was just 14 years old. But it is the first time she has ever taken on a leading role in a French-language film and Jodie told Vanity Fair she felt 'a lot freer' on her most recent project. Ellie's Cannes trip comes after she revealed the painful-looking results from a cosmetic treatment and sparked concern among her fans. Ellie, who often bats away rumours she uses injectables such as Botox and filler, shared a shocking video on TikTok following a laser facial which left her skin red raw. Sharing the results with her 1.7 million followers, the star captioned the clip: 'I give up trying to look snatched.' The songstress appeared in high spirits as she posed up a storm on the red carpet before heading into the star-studded premiere Ellie, who shares four-year-old son Arthur with her ex-husband Caspar Jopling, added that she felt like she'd been 'attacked by a laser grill' following the procedure. After sharing the immediate results of her treatment, fans rushed to the comment section to express their concern. One fan wrote: 'My god Ellie, what happened to your skin? I hope it's fine.'; 'Ouch. sorry.'; 'You were beautiful just as you were! Not sure why you think you need to do anything. We love you for you!' Laser skin resurfacing is loved by A-list stars including Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian and Hailey Bieber, and is becoming a popular method of anti-ageing. It is a cosmetic procedure that uses laser energy to improve skin tone, texture, and appearance, addressing issues like wrinkles, scars, and uneven pigmentation by stimulating collagen production and removing the outer layers of skin. The cost of a laser facial in London's private medical district, Harley Street, ranges from £450 to £1,330 for a single session, with some treatments costing up to £2,500 or more. Ellie previously denied getting Botox or filler in the past but has been open about her desire to look her best in an industry that puts a premium on youth and beauty. She told Vogue in 2023: 'I am always having my photo taken so my biggest priority is to make sure my skin looks hydrated and fresh. She continued: 'I love to use cryotherapy-inspired tools, like ice globes, straight from the freezer on my face in the morning to relieve puffiness before applying an under-eye mask.' In 2014, the singer also denied undergoing a boob job, explaining: 'My boobs look bigger because my waist is smaller. People underestimate how you can shape your body. Since I stopped eating meat and fish, my body's better than ever.' She was also forced to quash speculation in 2016 that she'd had lip filler, after she was pictured at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy gala in Los Angeles, with noticeably plumper lips and a generally smoother, streamlined appearance. Although she has always been the owner of plump, pouty lips, they appeared fuller than usual, with the slick of pale pink gloss only adding to their volume.
