Cannes 2009: In the Mood for Blood

Press screenings at Cannes have the reputation for being potentially raucous affairs, with the world’s press often vocal in their reaction to certain films. Yesterday morning’s showing of Fish Tank, the latest film by British director Andrea Arnold was no exception – a boisterous crowd even cheered and clapped an unsuspecting cleaner who came on stage to vacuum clean just before the film started.

Arnold’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed Red Road is the stand-out film of the festival so far for me. Set on a council estate in Essex it shows how the life of 15-year-old Mia (Katie Jarvis) is changed with the arrival of her Mum’s new boyfriend Connor (Michael Fassbender). Newcomer Jarvis gives a compelling performance which is complemented by some stunning cinematography. Arnold often places her characters against a backdrop of bright, pastel coloured walls giving a real freshness to the film’s images and a contrast to the colour palette often chosen for similar subject matter.

Other films that have been shown haven't been quite so strong. Korean director Park Chan-Wook’s Thirst, started off well only to be flawed by a roaming plot that failed to give this unusual vampire flick the drive and tightness of his previous success Old Boy. As the gore factor gets cranked up so does the silly factor leaving a bit of a confused mess by the end, a particular shame as the film has reportedly been many years in the making.

Opening the Un Certain Regard strand was No One Knows about Persian Cats. I really wanted to like this film, especially as the subject matter is so fascinating (it's about the underground music scene in Tehran, which is heavily restricted). However, it is badly let down by an ending that seems incongruent with the rest of the film’s style and tone. On top of this the numerous music scenes with their MTV-style editing and sped-up footage quickly become lacklustre. It does on the other hand give you a new found appreciation for what we in Britain see as a simple pleasure – that of listening to whatever music we want to.

Today sees the screening of a new movie from Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine, Science of Sleep) and Jane Campion’s (The Piano, Holy Smoke) British funded story about John Keats called Bright Star screened. Check back here for more coverage over the course of the festival.