The last tidbits from Cannes are still rolling in, even as the Croisette itself now looks like the opening scenes of “28 Days Later” (presumably). Last to screen in the Palme d’Or competition, and hence the focus of various final press appearances, was Olivier Assayas‘ “Clouds of Sils Maria,” which has had a mixed but interested reception: it ultimately failed to pick up any prizes, and Playlister Jessica Kiang seems to think that was fair.
Friday at Cannes saw the film gets its big press conference, featuring Assayas, stars Juliette Binoche and Chloë Grace Moretz (somewhat teased with an intro that focuses on her MTV Awards arising from the “Kick-Ass” franchise), supporting player Lars Eidinger and the film’s producer. Notably absent was the film’s other big player, Kristen Stewart, but you can insert your own joke about her being too laid-back to make it.
In the film, Binoche plays an actress facing the middle of her career, so there’s some meta-reflection from Binoche on her long history at Cannes—she became a star in 1985 when “Rendez-vous” premièred there—and her ever-evolving approach to acting. She dominates the press conference and is pleasingly willing to push back on certain questions, making for a weird contrast with Moretz, who aged all of 17 has entirely mastered the press-conference gush about the brilliance of colleagues, scripts, projects, etc. But hey, Binoche was probably doing the same thing 30 years ago. As “Clouds of Sils Maria” points out, we all need some time to mature.
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I think Playlist is biased and unprofessional. An actress missed a press conference at Cannes because she was filming a movie in th USA. Why even repercussion. However, it is not reported as an absence due to filming. Instead the actress is called to laid back to attend. It is called fair that the film received no awards by the same reviewer who said she heard boos at the films premiere. I didn't hear them at the screening. The entire screening was recorded and is on the internet. Seems biased reporting for a film that has been picked up in Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, Finland, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and France. Juliette Binoche did win a best actress award by the Int'l Compile Society.
Kristen Stewart was absent from the press conference & photo call because she is currently filming American Ultra and that schedule didn't allow her to make it in time. Shouldn't you guys know this? Or is this one of those typical "let's ignore the facts so we can make jokes" situations?