Maybes
We’ll begin this batch with Andrew Dominik‘s Killing Them Softly (Cogan’s Trade), which is currently set for a September 21 release, which makes it a more likely candidate for Toronto, but I’m throwing it out there as a possibility.
Derek Cianfrance‘s The Place Beyond the Pines is in post-production, but how far along he may be I do not know. He did bring Blue Valentine to Cannes after it premiered at Sundance so he has been there once and his cast, which includes Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn and Ray Liotta has also got to be attractive to festival director Thierry Fremaux.
I also won’t count out Rachid Bouchareb‘s latest pic, Just Like a Woman starring Sienna Miller, Golshifteh Farahani, Roschdy Zem and Chafia Boudraa. Bouchareb was last in Cannes in 2010 with Outside the Law and before that in 2006 with the excellent Days of Glory. Stands to reason they would consider him once again. The film centers on a Chicago housewife (Farahani) who runs off to Las Vegas with her friend (Miller) to compete in a belly dancing competition.
There’s also new buzz surrounding Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg (It’s All About Love) and his new drama Jagten starring Mads Mikkelsen as a man living in a small Danish town who finds himself accused of a crime he did not commit. The story explores just how long a human can endure when those close to him also begin to doubt his innocence.
And speaking of Danish filmmakers, how about Susanne Bier’s latest All You Need is Love starring Pierce Brosnan and In a Better World star Trine Dyrholm in a romantic comedy, set in Sorrento, Italy following a group of people all seeking love. It’s described as a story about passion and happiness, jealousy and loneliness, and the courage to change your life — even when you think it’s too late.
I’m not quite sure what to think of the chances for Cristian Mungiu‘s Beyond the Hills, which was already picked up for distribution by Sundance Selects. Some are giving it a chance to be included, but I wouldn’t put your money on it.
And the last of my possibilities and one I would love to see squeak its way in is Park Chan-wook‘s Stoker, after all, if Nicole Kidman is there with The Paperboy, why not kill two birds with one stone and give us this hotly anticipated number as well. Written by Wentworth Miller (“Prison Break”) and Erin Cressida Wilson (Chloe), Stoker tells of a girl (Mia Wasikowska) and her mother (Kidman) who are visited by a mysterious uncle (Matthew Goode) after the girl’s father dies. Jacki Weaver, Lucas Till, Alden Ehrenreich and Dermot Mulroney co-star.
Longshots
We’ll kickstart the longshots with John Hillcoat‘s Lawless (aka The Wettest County), a film that was previously set for an April release so we know it is finished, but once it was moved to August to take advantage of Tom Hardy‘s rising star following The Dark Knight Rises, Harvey Weinstein said, “The idea is to go to Venice and then hit the domestic market right after.” So, unless he’s changed his mind I’m not expecting this one.
While I mentioned above how Gomorrah opened in Italy before screening at Cannes, that was only a two-day difference. What I’ve only recently realized is Woody Allen‘s To Rome with Love hits Italian theaters on April 20, almost a month before the fest begins. What I previously thought was a sure thing has turned into a pretty big longshot.
Some are trying to say James Gray will have Lowlife ready, but I don’t see that as even a remote possibility and the idea Ridley Scott will debut Prometheus is unlikely as well.
Out
Already revealed to be out of the realm of possibility are Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master and Wong Kar Wai‘s long-delayed The Grandmasters, which isn’t even expected to hit theaters in China until mid-December.
I know it’s a little silly to write so much speculation only one day before the actual announcement, but at least it gave me a chance to profile a few films you may not have otherwise known about so whether or not they all make the final list or not, at least they’re on your radar and I’m sure we’ll be hearing about most, if not all, of the films I’ve detailed here soon enough… Cannes or not.
For the full line-up be sure and return tomorrow as I will have each and every film announced for you right here. So stay tuned!
And finally, on April 22 the selection for the La Semaine de la Critique will be announced but the poster, featuring Anamaria Vartolomei (My Little Princess) was recently unveiled as the critical sidebar at the fest is celebrating its 51st year of showcasing films from directors’ first and second features.
Among the films I saw in last year’s selections were Take Shelter and Snowtown and this year I’ll be sure to watch the selection even closer.
