Cannes 2019 – 5/18

As part of the selection of Un Certain Regard, which allows nontraditional styles of storytelling to be showcased to the world, Jeanne by Bruno Dumont was my first film of the day. Although an interesting experience, it also turned out to be a dull one. From my point of view, script inconsistencies and wooden acting killed the intended authenticity the director was likely aiming for.

The following event of the day was the masterclass of Nicolas Winding Refn, director of the critically acclaimed Drive (2011) and Too Old to Die Young, an Amazon Prime Video series set to air on June 14, 2019. Having seen the first two episodes of the series the previous night, I eagerly listened in with the crowd to a two-hour conversation between Winding Refn and Philippe Rouyer, ending with a Q&A session where the Danish director unveiled his unique personality. He highlighted the importance of creativity and gave meaningful advices for young artists. He also said that Too Old to Die Young is to be seen as a thirteen-hour film rather as a series. His work method is unorthodox since he improves the script and changes his artistic direction every day before filming. Once he starts something, he does not really know how it’s going to end. In his opinion, freedom is the most important thing as an artist, and that we are all capable to create. He also shared his passion for music, but emphasized the necessity for silence. For him, it is more meaningful since silence is a “reflection of the soul, like a mirror”. The masterclass ended with an announcement of a new movie project in the works, titled I Am Going to Kill You, and I can only guess what kind of twisted story will come out of his mind as a result. Nicolas Winding Refn is every bit true to himself, unashamedly admitting to being a genius and overflowing with personal pride… but this is why we like his work. There is no middle ground with Nicolas Winding Refn, you either hate him or love him.