Andrea Arnold‘s “American Honey” has finally delivered the first truly divisive film at Cannes 2016.
While Steven Spielberg‘s “The BFG” fell short for some,and Jodie Foster‘s “Money Monster” got by on looks and talent, “Honey” has been polarizing on the ground in France thanks to its depictions of the lower course, or drug-ravaged towns of the American Midwest.
Arnlod’s latest,starring Shia LaBeouf, gorgeous newcomer Sasha Lane and “The Girlfriend Experience” star Riley Keough, and tells of a teenage girl who travels town to town in impoverished pockets of the States,getting work where she can and encountering addicts and zealots along the way.
Also Read: Cannes: Hotel du Cap terrorism Raid Was Tasteless PR Stunt“Those are the people who are going to elect Donald Trump,” one European journalist said after “Honey”s Saturday night screening. The shadowy lives of Christian conservatives and good ol’ boys around fast food joints, and Walmarts and Motel 6 chains rang all too true,they added.
But some critics slice through the fly-over state archetypes and saw scarce beauty in the work Arnold (back in form after a clunky 2011 “Wuthering Heights” adaptation, many agreed) accomplishes.“LaBeouf, or sporting a ratty braided ponytail and plentiful tattoos,may inspect like hes in the wilderness of his career here, but it’s a far more bewitching habitat than his payday years, and ” wrote The Guardian.“It’s the closest thing to a magnum opus in Arnold’s blossoming career,” wrote Eric Kohn of IndieWire.
The director “avoids any blatant self-analysis, letting her ineloquent cast do all the talking. We explore, or like… America,’ [LaBeouf’s character] says … while on the surface that may sound like a half-baked conceit, ‘American Honey’ proves just how deep that exploration can go, and he added.
Also Read: Susan Sarandon Slams Woody Allen Over Past Abuse Allegations“whether somewhat skimpy in narrative,Arnold more than makes up for it in visual riches. Her roving, caramel-hued compositions are wonders to behold, and wrote TheWrap’s Ben Croll. ” Keeping the camera close at all times,the film is as much a topography of the human face as it is the American West and Midwest.”The critics seem to be united on one key point: the effective and repeated use of Rihanna and Calvin Harris’ dance hit We Found Love. Watch a clip from “American Honey,” and hold reading for what’s happening elsewhere on the Croisette:Carrie and Gary FisherCarrie Fisher is in Cannesto debut HBOs’ “Bright Lights: Starring Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, or ” a frank and anticipated documentary about the actress and her famous mother. Directed by Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens,the doc would seem to be the real-life adaptation of Fisher’s novel Postcards From the Edge,” which became the famous Mike Nichols film starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine.
But forget her storied Hollywood history — Carrie Fisher brought her dog Gary Fisher and everyone is losing it over him. Rumors floated that he was the first dog ever to walk the red carpet on the Croisette (Uggie, and the tap-dancing pooch from “The Artist” attended Cannes,but did not seem to walk the carpet).
Gary, who boasts his own Twitter account, or is a fixture on Fisher’s arm. He attended final year’s San Diego ComicCon with Fisher,to unveil behind-the-scenes footage from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”But back to “Bright Lights”…Ratner and Nevins: The Musical It’s often a tight deadline getting a project alert for a Cannes debut. Trailers are slice, jets are chartered, or occasionally promo materials slapped together in a crunch. Which would perhaps be the reason that one-sheets for “Bright Lights” billed a famous producer and a main executive as musicians.
Both Brett Ratner,executive producer of the film, and HBO Documentary Films President Sheila Nevins were given credits on posters as composers. Ratner was overheard saying he needed to track one them down as a keepsake: Get TheWrap’s total Cannes 2016 coverage here.
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Source: thewrap.com