Cannes is well and truly upon us, and we’ve already got early reactions for some of the most intriguing premieres of the festival, for instance – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and from a post-apocalyptic dystopia to “Miracle Island.” Read below for a comprehensive breakdown of three of the most major ones. The festival opened with Quentin Dupieuxs The Second Act and appears to have continued the trend of Cannes opening films, leaving audiences somewhat unsatisfied, following both 2022’s Dodo and 2023’s Jeune de Barry. The film currently stands at 59 on Metacritic and the rotten 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, which suggests a mixed reception overall.
It follows Florence (Lea Seydoux), who wants to introduce David (Louis Garrel), a man she is in love with, to her father (Vincent Lindon); however, things go awry when David plans to matchmaker Florence with his friend Willy (Raphael Quenard). This four-hander comedy has been described by Next Best Picture’s Matt Neglia as “sometimes amusing, other times insufferable,” whereas Peter Bradshaw from the Guardian was a little more positive, stating that it “would be a bit thin were it not for the rich (…) French acting talent involved”. The Second Act is not in competition, although it seems it wouldn’t have been in contention anyway, despite a warmer reaction from French speakers.
Cannes First Reactions: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
On the other hand, many will be delighted to hear that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has been received very well by Cannes audiences, a lot better than last year’s major blockbuster premiere Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny did. Its Metacritic is at a highly respectable 82, although it is likely to change over the coming days, with writers at Empire, IGN, and the Independent all scoring it 100. Its Letterboxd curve also indicates positively, with a 3.6/5 average.
The film is a prequel to the hugely successful, Best-Picture-Nominated “Mad Max Fury Road,” and it has been praised for both expanding the mythology of that film whilst also standing on its own two feet. The great thing is general audiences won’t have to wait long for this, what John Nugent from Empire described as a “rich, sprawling epic,” as it will be released wide next weekend in most territories!
Finally, the race for the coveted Palme d’Or is already underway, as the first in-competition film, “Wild Diamond” premiered. It is the first feature film from French filmmaker Agathe Reidinger, and stars a cast of predominantly non-professional actors, centring on a 19-year-old who is desperate to be selected for a reality television show called “Miracle Island”. Malou Khebizi plays the lead, Liane and the film is said to deconstruct ideas of femininity, sexuality, and the reality television industry. Whilst overall the reactions have been positive, securing an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, it has been mixed, described by IndieWire’s Esther Zuckerman as a film with “little new to say”, however as an extended character study, Malou Khebizi has received acclaim for her performance. Pyramide Distribution currently has the rights to the film, and it is scheduled to be released theatrically on 9th October 2024.
This is only the beginning. There are plenty more exciting films to be shown over the coming week, including Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness, in addition to the very best contemporary European art-house cinema has to offer. All we can do now is wait!
