Will We See Them in Korea Soon? New Films from High-Profile Directors in the Cannes Competition

One of the world's three major film festivals, the Cannes Film Festival, opened on May 12. Now in its 79th edition, this year's festival has Park Chan-wook serving as president of the main competition jury, and it has drawn a lot of attention with Na Hong-jin's first new film in ten years, 〈Hope〉, being selected for the competition. For audiences here in Korea, they are probably more curious about which films are likely to announce Korean release plans afterward than about the festival events themselves. From the competition entries, we selected films that do not yet have confirmed local release dates but are likely to see Korean releases based on the directors' reputations and their previous release histories in Korea. For reference, two Japanese directors particularly popular here—Hirokazu Kore-eda's 〈The Sheep in the Box〉 has confirmed a June release, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi's 〈Suddenly the Condition Worsens〉 has also secured a release through Green Narae Media.

Bitter Christmas

Amarga Navidad

Pedro Almodóvar

One of the defining figures of Spanish cinema, Pedro Almodóvar returns with this new film. It's notable that it was invited to the competition even though it had a March release in Spain, given that the competition often touts "world premiere" screenings. After attempting an English-language film with his previous 〈The Room Next Door〉, he has returned to Spanish-language cinema. The story interweaves Elsa—an advertising director—spending time in Lanzarote with her interactions with her friend Patricia and with film director Raúl's process of writing a screenplay. Bárbara Lennie, known to Korean audiences for 〈The Invisible Guest〉, plays Elsa. Leonardo Sbaraglia, who worked with Almodóvar on 〈Pain and Glory〉, appears as Raúl. In Spain, Warner Bros. handled distribution for his previous work, so Warner Bros. might also handle domestic distribution.

Minotaur

Минотавр

Andrey Zvyagintsev

Part of the reason this year's Cannes has been labeled a "return of the masters" is certainly director Andrey Zvyagintsev. Known as a leading figure in Russian cinema with films like 〈The Return〉, 〈Leviathan〉, and 〈Loveless〉, Zvyagintsev is unveiling his first film in nine years, 〈Minotaur〉. After a near-death brush with COVID-19, could he add another accolade to his Cannes record following the Screenplay Award (〈Leviathan〉) and the Jury Prize (〈Loveless〉)? The film is said to depict a series of events experienced by elite executives when faced with sudden environmental changes. As with his earlier works, a change that shakes one person's life is likely to lead to the collapse of the entire family.

Parallel Tales

Histoires Parallèles

Asghar Farhadi

After a major upheaval, Asghar Farhadi made 〈Parallel Tales〉 as the first film he made after declaring that he would formally leave the Iranian film industry. Farhadi, once a symbol of Iranian cinema, suffered through a plagiarism controversy over his previous film 〈A Hero〉 (which concluded with him being cleared), and thereafter he made films outside Iran, as he did with 〈The Past〉 and 〈Everybody Knows〉. This time, 〈Parallel Tales〉 is a co-production centered in France with Italy and Belgium. It tells the story of novelist Sylvie, who spies on her neighbors for inspiration for her next work, Adam whom she hires, and the neighbors who become the objects of voyeurism. Isabelle Huppert plays Sylvie, and the cast includes Vincent Cassel, Catherine Deneuve, Virginie Efira, and Pierre Niney. According to promotional materials, some actors take on two roles, so both reality and Sylvie's novel are expected to be depicted. It may be worth watching in advance, as it is said to be a loose remake of Krzysztof Kieślowski's 〈A Short Film About Love〉.

Paper Tiger

Paper Tiger

James Gray

Director James Gray, who elevates any genre with his unmistakable style, returns to crime cinema after a while. 〈Paper Tiger〉 follows the Perl brothers, who dream of the American Dream and become entangled with the Russian mafia, driving them toward ruin. It's one of only two American films in the Cannes competition this year, alongside 〈The Man I Love〉 (Ira Sachs), and the cast is certainly striking. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson reunite after working together on 〈Marriage Story〉, and Miles Teller joins them. Like Gray's previous film 〈Armageddon Time〉, this one is set in 1980s New York, and the story will be told through the lens of cinematographer Joaquín Baca-Asay, working with Gray again after 〈Two Lovers〉.