Today is my last day at the Festival de Cannes, and as a special accredited correspondent, I have learned so much but also got to experience many things out of the ordinary. Needless to say, I am grateful for the opportunity to write for BLINKCO but also the chance to have made so many connections as well as to expand my horizons in the world of cinema.
Presented as a horror movie for the La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs section, the first screening I attended was Wounds by Babak Anvari, starring Armie Hammer and Dakota Johnson. Not the brightest moment of the festival, it was unfortunate to see the theater gradually emptying itself out as spectators found the presentation rather flat. However, the day was accentuated by a brief meeting with Montreal’s own Xavier Dolan right before the screening of Matthias & Maxime, a story of two lifelong friends whose sexuality is put into question as a short film script they both have a role in called for a kiss between the two men. On top of directing the movie, Dolan also plays the role of Maxime opposite Gabriel D’Almeida Freitas as Matthias. The end result is a touching and beautiful film, filled with memorable scenes and supported by an exceptional soundtrack, bringing back the Xavier Dolan of his earlier work such as Mommy in 2014.