Latest news with #DebussyTheater
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kristen Stewart's ‘The Chronology of Water' Is One Hell of a Directorial Debut
'I bled, I peed, I cried, and vomited.' This sentence comes at the end of the second paragraph of The Chronology of Water, Lidia Yuknavitch's extraordinary, extraordinarily raw 2011 memoir about growing up, nearly giving up, and straining to getting a grip on a traumatic past. It follows one of the most striking openings of any autobiography — an extended description of her holding her daughter moments after the stillborn baby has been delivered. Kristen Stewart has been talking about bringing Yuknavitch's book to the screen for years. But she wasn't interested in playing this survivor so much as directing this adaptation and, to quote this cover story, 'make something subversive and beautiful and true.' Should she ever be able to bring to life the vision she had of this woman's life, Stewart told anyone who asked (or didn't ask), it would do justice to the horror and poetry of that moment. It would not shy away from the blood. Stewart has accomplished what she set out to do, with honors. And were blood all that her take on Chronology delivered, this free-form biopic would still feel radical, bruising, aggressive in its honesty. But there's a brief declaration that comes right after that liquid inventory: 'I became water.' The breakdown to the elemental state that Yuknavitch, a champion high school swimmer, mentions in the face of experiencing such a tragedy suggests a complete meltdown. But it also hints at liberation, and while the movie showcases its hero numbing herself with sex, drugs, booze, and various other forms of self-destructive behavior, images of pools, rivers, lakes and cleansing baths are never far behind. Stewart opens her film with blood slowly entering the frame and mixing with the remnants of a shower swirling down a drain. But the shot favors what's washing it away. You can't accuse her of burying the lede. More from Rolling Stone That Doc on Shia LaBeouf's Acting School Is Even Crazier Than You've Heard Pedro Pascal Speaks Out at 'Eddington' Premiere: 'Fear Is the Way That They Win' 'Eddington' Is the Perfect Conspiracy Thriller for a Broken, Brainwashed Nation Even nestled in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, the sidebar the fest reserves for first-time filmmakers and 'non-traditional stories seeking international recognition,' Stewart's directorial debut was going to have beaucoup eyes focused on it. Curiosity over what the former Twilight star and Oscar nominee would do behind the camera had been rampant in the days leading up to its premiere late Friday night at the Debussy Theater, and many would have considered anything that wasn't the avant-garde equivalent of a vanity project to be a victory. What she's done with this source material is, we have to say, incredible. There's an almost punk sensibility behind showing the gauntlet that Imogen Poots, playing Yuknavitch from her late teens to her thirties, is forced to run. It's obvious that Stewart aims to push envelopes, get in your face, make everything feel extra unvarnished in the name of being real. Yet there's also a sensitivity to what the writer has endured that balances out the more outré flourishes here, and you feel like Stewart and Poots are working in tandem to not reduce Yuknavitch to the sum of her painful memories. Lidia's older sister (Thora Birch, whose quiet work here is equally as gutting) manages to get out from a household dominated by their sexually abusive father (Michael Epp). Lidia, however, is still stuck dwelling in the monster's lair. Mom (Susannah Flood) numbs herself with liquor, a trick her youngest daughter will soon replicate. Even swimming, the one thing that offers her salvation from a terrible home life and possible ticket out of town, is tainted by violence; a coach promises 'one lick [smack] for every pound you're over' to his young female athletes, and makes good on the promise. She can't escape the devil or her personal demons. College life, chronic casual sex, bad decisions, the opportunity to collaborate with Ken Kesey (Jim Belushi), two ill-advised marriages and liberation through BDSM — courtesy of a dominatrix played with extra deadpan irony by Kim Gordon — await Yuknavitch on the other side of her tale. So does literary acclaim, a patient and handsome bearded stranger (Charlie Carrick) and something approaching peace. We've seen this story many times before. Still, given how Poots commits to the headfirst descent from one rock bottom to the next, as well as keeping the writer's pain consistently simmering below the surface, you are relieved to see the tide of agony recede for the actor as much as you do for the character. It's that kind of all-or-nothing type of performance. The former option wins. What's interesting is that while Stewart doesn't sublimate her own artistic tendencies and reservoir of rage in telling Yuknavitch's story — and what we can imagine is the shared narrative of a lot of women, creative types or otherwise — she's keenly aware of the responsibility of making sure she gets the perspective of her subject right. That's what most impressive about her debut, even more than the faded Kodachrome aesthetic of the 16mm cinematography, the elliptical editing style, and the favoring of the lyrical over the linear here. (If you had to locate a point of comparison for the movies overall aesthetic, the early works of Gus Van Sant would be the most likely option.) But if there is personal expression abound in Stewart's debut, there's also precious little ego. Nor are the tics that too often prick or sink the work of actors feeling out what it's like to call the shots. We'd hate to see her give up acting altogether — she's too good at getting under the skin of too many different types. If this is the first of many filmmaking endeavors from Stewart, however, we welcome everything that is to come. She's proven that she's not afraid to draw blood. And that, in the end, she understands the art of making images flow together in a way that feels just south of transcendent. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
See - Sada Elbalad
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Robert De Niro to Receive Cannes Honorary Palme D'Or
Yara Sameh Robert De Niro is set to receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony of the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on May 13. On the following day, De Niro will take part in a masterclass on the stage of the Debussy Theater. 'I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes, especially now when there's so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It's like coming home,' De Niro said in a statement. The iconic actor has had a long relationship with the Cannes Film Festival. He last walked the red carpet there for Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon.' He also presided over the jury 14 years ago. De Niro follows the footsteps of fellow Palme d'Or honorees Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster, among others. As previously announced, French actress Juliette Binoche will succeed Greta Gerwig as jury president of this year's festival. It will mark the second time in Cannes history that the jury will be headed by a woman for two consecutive years. In an interview with Variety on Friday, Cannes' chief Thierry Fremaux said he and his committee still had 50 movies to watch to complete the Official Selection, which will be unveiled (at least in parts) on Thursday (April 10) in Paris. The lineup is expected to have a large contingent of American filmmakers, including Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Kelly Reichardt, Ari Aster, Kristen Stewart, and Wes Anderson. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Videos & Features Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO) News Israeli PM Diagnosed with Stage 3 Prostate Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple
Euronews
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Robert De Niro to receive Honorary Palme d'Or of the 78th Cannes Film Festival
ADVERTISEMENT Robert De Niro will receive the Cannes Film Festival's Honorary Palme d'Or at the opening night ceremony of the 78th edition on 13 May. On the following day, the iconic American actor will take part in a masterclass on the stage of the Debussy Theater. 'I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes,' De Niro said in a statement provided by the festival. 'Especially now, when there's so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It's like coming home.' The actor has had a long relationship with the Cannes Film Festival. He presided over the jury in 2011 and last walked the red carpet there for Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon . In 1976, De Niro starred in two competition films, Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900 and Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver , which won the Palme d'Or. He opened the festival in 1982 with Scorsese's The King of Comedy , and the next year presented Once Upon a Time in America , Sergio Leone's last film, before returning to the Croisette with Roland Joffé's The Mission , which also won the Palme. This year's Cannes Film Festival runs from 13 – 24 May. As previously announced, French actress Juliette Binoche will succeed Greta Gerwig as jury president of this year's festival . It will mark the second time in Cannes history that the jury will be headed by a woman for two consecutive years – following 1966 when Sophia Loren took over president of the jury duties from Olivia de Havilland. The Official Selection of the 78th Cannes Film Festival will be announced on Thursday 10 April – stay tuned to Euronews Culture for the full breakdown of this year's line-up.
