There is no film event quite like Cannes Film Festival. The least movie obsessed among us can find something to cling to, even if it is only the red carpet. For its landmark 75th year, the festivities will return to normalcy and kick off on May 17 in the south of France. After delays and cancellations due to you-know-what, expect a lineup that has it all; from a jangling Elvis Presley biopic to another empathetic perspective on love from Mia Hansen-Løve starring Léa Seydoux. In the spirit of what's to come, we're bringing you a list of 12 films premiering at Cannes Film Festival 2022 to have on your radar if arthouse and international movies are your thing.
1. Stars at Noon
Set in Nicaragua in 1984, The Stars at Noon by Denis Johnson details the relationship between an American journalist and an English business; where neither party are exactly who they seem. Arguably the best part of this upcoming film adaptation is that our beloved Joe Alwyn will be starring alongside the heavenly being that is Margaret Qualley. Not only this, but A24 is set to distribute it while French director Claire Denis is steering the ship.
2. Crimes of the Future
David Cronenberg has unfinished business with his iconic 1970s film Crimes of the Future, and so it's getting a modern remake. Kristen Stewart will star alongside Léa Seydoux and Viggo Mortensen. If you don't have a strong stomach, by all accounts this body horror is not for you.
3. Beast
Riley Keough, or as I only recently found out, Elvis' granddaughter is coming in hot with her directorial debut at Cannes 2022. Conceived in collaboration with producer Gina Gammell the project sets its gaze on the stories of three Lakota men on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. While little else is known, the film is apparently based on true events with a cast comprising of locals rather than actors.
4. Decision to Leave
A much anticipated whodunit film from beloved South Korean director Park Chan-wook. His last film Handmaiden left a grisly taste in our mouth and Decision to Leave has been slated as the even darker second course. The plot follows a detective piecing together the murder of a man on a mountain range, who mid-investigation meets the man's wife and the drama takes an unexpected turn.
5. Elvis
Australian export Baz Luhrmann is not finished digging into US culture just yet. The director who brought us the charged reimagining of The Great Gatsby is bravely shining his light on rock n' roll darling Elvis Presley in this new biopic. Austin Butler is saddled with the role of Elvis, while Tom Hanks is onboard as his complicated manager, Colonel Tom Parker. From the trailer, and the trajectory of Presley's life, this film won't be without a heaping spoon of tragedy.
6. Sick of Myself
If you loved Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World, then Sick of Myself is the natural next step. Helmed by LA-based Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli, the movie revolves around couple Signe and Thomas whose dysfunctional relationship takes a turn for the worst when Thomas lands his big break as a contemporary artist. Signe is obsessed with regaining her status and attracting attention doing so no matter the cost.
7. Three Thousand Years of Longing
In another segment of Aussies in France, George Miller will present his fantasy romance Three Thousand Years of Longing at Cannes 2022. Starring formidable duo Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, the details are scarce except for the breadcrumb that we can expect a "dialogue-driven" narrative that follows and encounter between a scholar and a djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.
8. The Silent Twins
Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance take the lead in this film based on real life. Drawing on the lives of twin sisters June and Jennifer Gibbons, the girls hailed from the only Black family in small Welsh town in the 1970s and 80s. Racism and social isolation forced a situation where the twins refused to speak to anyone but each other, and following a spree of vandalism in their teens the two are sent to psychiatric hospital Broadmoor. From this point their story swiftly declines into tragedy.
9. Showing Up
What star-studded alternative film is A24 not responsible for these days? Here Michelle Williams joins forces once more with longtime collaborator Kelly Reichardt for a project that paints a vibrant and sharp portrait of an artist on the cusp of a career-making exhibition. Leading up to the show, the chaos of life is laid bare as the artist navigates family, friends and colleagues. Michelle Williams takes the lead.
10. Triangle of Sadness
Woody Harrelson is a name we'll never turn down. Here the actor plays as Marxist captain helming a ship filled with the super-rich. When the yacht sinks and its passengers are marooned, it sets the scene for a plotline built on conversations on class and vanity. Love Triangle is steered by Palme d’Or-winning director Ruben Östlund.
11. One Fine Morning
Mia Hansen-Løve is at it again, unpicking the complicated strings of love with warmth and empathy. Here, Léa Seydoux plays a single mum named Sandra who is saddled with raising a small child and caring for her elderly father. All the while, she rekindles a love affair with an old friend.
12. Men
Men? A horror film? Say no more. It's actually a surprise that someone hasn't thought of this concept sooner. We're just glad that we have the inimitable Jessie Buckley to take us there. Set in the picturesque English countryside, Buckley's character Harper retreats their to heal. However, it's not long before she gets the sense that something is stalking her...Could it be? A village of men who look the exact same. You're just going to have to watch it to find out.
