‘Strange Way of Life,’ ‘Occupied City’ and More

The 2023 Cannes Film Festival is jam-packed with buzzy world premieres, from Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” to Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City.” Todd Haynes is also back to unveil “May December,” featuring the A-list pairing of Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, while Disney is bringing Harrison Ford to the Croisette for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” New films from Pedro Almodovar, Jessica Hautner, Jonathan Glazer, Catherine Corsini, Hirokazu Kore-eda and more are also set to make their debuts at Cannes this year.

Cannes is seen as the launching pad of Oscar season. Warner Bros. in 2022 kicked off its lengthy awards run for Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” on the French Riviera, with the film going on to land eight Academy Award nominations, including best picture. Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness” also picked up Oscar nods for best picture, director and original screenplay. Two international film nominees, “Close” and “EO,” launched at last year’s festival, while “Aftersun” best actor nominee Paul Mescal got his awards start in the Directors Fortnight sidebar. All of this is to say the industry will be closely watching the buzz on all of this year’s world premieres.

Variety of More Variety

All of the Variety’s Below is a review of the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. The list will be updated each day with the latest reviews. The reviews are presented alphabetically after the selection for opening night.

Jeanne du Barry

Section: Opening Night Film/Out-of-Competition

Director: Maïwenn

Cast: Maïwenn, Johnny Depp, Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Richard, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory,

Variety’s Review: French actor-director Maïwenn can relate, casting herself as the courtesan-turned-comtess in “Jeanne du Barry,” a sensitive and surprisingly low-key portrait of the French monarch’s last mistress. That Maïwenn saw fit to engage tabloid-embattled Johnny Depp as ‘her king’ is just one of the many hurdles she set for herself — but then, no one embarks on such a project with the intention of pleasing her critics. – Peter Debruge

Anslem

Section: Special screenings

Director: Wim Wenders

Variety’s Review: There are not enough directors who have embraced the potential of 3D for adding a philosophical dimension. Wim Werners, thank goodness. The first of two new films by the German veteran in this year’s Cannes official selection, “Anselm” is a tour de force 3D 6K portrait of the artist Anselm Kiefer, both rich in ideas and breathtaking in technical execution. – Catherine Bray

The Goldman Case

Section: Director’s Fortnight

Director: Cédric Kahn

Cast: Arieh Worthalter, Arthur Harari, Stéphan Guérin-Tillié, Nicolas Briançon, Aurélien Chaussade

Variety’s Review: In “The Goldman Case,” Cédric Kahn’s formally restrained but ultimately electrifying dramatization of a trial that gripped and divided France in 1976, that canny inconsistency is but one unexpected fold in a courtroom drama that finds equal intrigue in legal order and human chaos. – Guy Lodge

Homecoming

Section: Competition

Director: Catherine Corsini

Cast: Suzy Bemba, Esther Gohourou, Aïssatou Diallo Sagna, Lomane de Dietrich

Variety’s Review: For all the secrets and lies that shape the narrative of Catherine Corsini’s straightforwardly told but consistently intriguing new film, its most interesting tensions often emerge from things its characters already know, even if they haven’t acknowledged them out loud. – Guy Lodge

Monster

Section: Competition

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Cast: Mugino Saori, Hori Michitoshi, Mugino Minato, Hoshikawa Yori, Fushimi Makiko.

Variety’s Review: The trick of the timeline and the selective reveal of key information keep audiences guessing as to where this complex portrait of a preteen in turmoil may be heading. – Peter Debruge

Occupied City

SectionSpecial Screenings

Director: Steve McQueen

Variety’s Review: When it was announced that McQueen would be directing his first documentary feature, and that it would tackle the subject of the Holocaust, dealing with the victims of the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam (the city where McQueen now lives), my anticipation took the form of thinking: How, with a director of McQueen’s skill and imagination and gravity, could this be less than fascinating? But “Occupied City,” it’s my sad duty to report, is a good deal less than fascinating. I’ll be blunt: The film is a trial to sit through, and you feel that from almost the opening moments. – Owen Gleiberman