Cannes 2020: Vår alternative utgave av Cannes-festivalen 2020 er nå i gang, med visninger av Cannes-filmer her i Montages-redaksjonen (og i de tusen hjem). Vi har spurt norske og internasjonale filmpersonligheter med en spesiell erfaring fra Cannes-festivalen om deres anbefalinger fra programmet.

Andrew Grant er født og oppvokst i New York City, holder til i Berlin og produserer film i Norge. Han har arbeidet som både kritiker og distributør, i tillegg til å være produsent. Distribusjonsselskapet hans Benten Films var sin tid av mange ansett som Criterion Collection for lavbudsjetterte indiefilmer. I dag driver Grant Mattima Films, basert i Mo i Rana, og produserer nå den første spillefilmen til Truls Krane Meby, Dyr & Dyr.

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Hey guys,

I’ve been in Cannes as a distributor and a producer, and some of my fondest memories are the hours-long conversations, great meals, and many, many drinks with the Montages team. My recommendations below.

Best,
Andrew

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Dogville

(2003, Lars von Trier)
▷ iTunes (digitalt), Viaplay (digitalt, abo), Platekompaniet (fysisk)

Like nearly every film from Danish master Lars von Trier, Dogville, the first in the (sadly) unfinished “USA – Land of Opportunities” trilogy fiercely divided both critics and audiences. There were plenty of knee-jerk “but he’s never even been to America, how dare he criticize it” reactions, but many of those were no-doubt rooted in the discomfort the film causes. But the cruelty and ugliness of the small Colorado town resonates even more today, with America seemingly headed towards a new economic depression while under the rule of a madman whose supporters share the same ignorance and cruelty of the townsfolk, and who, like the MAGA-hordes, embrace all that is anti-intellectual.

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Sonatine

(1993, Takeshi Kitano)
▷ Platekompaniet (fysisk)

With this, his fourth film as director, Takeshi Kitano subverts the yakuza-genre film by gracing us with a spellbinding masterwork. Its plot, wafer-thin by design, takes a back seat to its greater ambition as a meditation on time and death. Moments of calm, fragmented scenes of playfulness or ennui suddenly burst into stylized violence, and throughout it all a streak of deeply black humour that adds a touch of melancholy to this otherwise cynical portrait of humanity. This was Takeshi’s first film to find an international audience, and from its sumptuous visuals alone, it’s easy to see why.

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Geuk jang jeon

(«Tale of Cinema», 2005, Hong Sang-soo)
▷ Platekompaniet (fysisk, samleboks)

Director Hong Sang-soo has been referred to as the Korean Eric Rohmer by more than a few critics, and though that’s perhaps a tad too superficial, there certainly are parallels between the two, primarily in their shared fascination with the intricacies and complexities of relationships. For the uninitiated, this 2005 dramedy is a perfect place to dive in as you’ll get to experience one his trademark bifurcated narratives, scenes of characters drinking too much soju and exposing suppressed emotions, and his all-too-accurate critiques of male behaviour in matters of romance, friendship and professional endeavours.

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Day Night Day Night

(2006, Julia Loktev)
▷Amazon (fysisk, import)

Julia Loktev’s narrative feature film debut about a teenage would-be suicide bomber walking the streets of a packed Times Square in Manhattan left many New Yorkers (this one included) uncomfortably shaken, even though it arrived five years after the events of 9/11. What it doesn’t reveal and doesn’t answer is the film’s greatest strength, and Loktev’s quasi-documentary narrative and stylistic approach makes it that much more harrowing. To watch it amidst a global pandemic, where city streets in many corners of the world are near-barren will no doubt add an additional layer of tension.

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Go Go Tales

(2007, Abel Ferrara)
▷ Ebay (fysisk)

In his just-shy of fifty-year career, there’s little director Abel Ferrara hasn’t tried. From hardcore porn, to gore, to sci-fi, to art-house biopics this echt-New Yorker has never been afraid of failure, and has never compromised on his vision. And though many know him from “hits” like King of New York (1990) or Bad Lieutenant (1992) there are many gems in his back catalogue that remain unknown due to limited (or no) distribution. Yet it’s extremely odd that this riotous and utterly accessible satire on gentrification in the Big Apple never found a proper distributor. With a stellar cast (including Ferrara-regular Willem Dafoe, Asia Argento, Bob Hoskins, Matthew Modine and NY-legend Sylvia Miles) and containing some of Ferrara and co-screenwriter Scott Pardo’s sharpest, wittiest dialogue, this is mad Abel at his lightest.

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Den alternative Cannes-festivalen utspiller seg mellom 12. og 23. mai. Her kan dere bla gjennom det komplette programmet.