Berenice Bejo Page 2

Asghar Fahradi’s The Past is a harsh look at the way secrets and lies can destroy a family from the inside. The story is set in Paris and, unlike Fahradi’s last project, the Oscar winning A Separation, centers on a much more complicated family dynamic within a multicultural environment.

Expectations were high for Farhadi, after his success with 2011's The Separation.

Thanks to Fahradi’s previous success, expectations are high for this drama. So far, The Past is receiving a positive response from critics and even some early Oscar buzz. It is already being pegged as a lead contender for the foreign film category. The film tells the stories of several bad relationships, which tangle together in various unexpected ways.

Continue reading: After 7 Month Festival Tour, "The Past" Opens In The US To Early Oscar Buzz

An intimate lesbian love story by Abdellatif Kechiche won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the prestigious Palme d'Or on Sunday. La Vie d'Adele - Chapitre 1 & 2 (Blue is the Warmest Colour) was chosen by a jury headed by Steven Spielberg as the best movie showing in competition, despite some concerns about its length (3 hours) and content, specifically its explicit sex scenes.

According to Reuters, Spielberg said the award should be shared between Kechiche and his two lead actresses Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux, such was the level of their performances in the film.  "I think it will get a lot of play ... I think this film carries a very strong message, a very positive message," Spielberg told journalists. "It was the perfect choice between those two actresses and this incredible very sensitive and observant filmmaker." Cannes director Thierry Fremaux said the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who marched in Paris this week to protest the country's legalization of same-sex marriage should go watch Blue Is The Warmest Colour. "Everyone who is against same-sex marriage or love between two people of the same sex must see the film," he said.

Tunisian-born actor Kechiche made his directorial debut in 2000. He was virtually speechless upon accepting the award, dedicating it to the youth of France and Tunisia who "wanted only to live, speak and love freely" during the Arab spring. 

Continue reading: Lesbian Love Story Beats Coen Brothers To Palme D'Or At Cannes

Iranian Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi, who made his name in the industry with the incredible A Seperation, is potentially sitting on the Palme d'Or after his Paris-set tale 'The Past' drew boisterous applause and strong reviews following its screening at the Cannes Film Festival this week. The film boasts The Artist's Berenice Bejo in the lead role as a Parisian mother living in the multicultural suburbs who asks her estranged husband to return from Tehran to finalise their divorce.

In the meantime, Marie invites her new boyfriend - played by Tahar Rahim of the superb A Prophet - to move in with her and her two daughters from another past relationship. Unsurprisingly, her husband returns from Tehran and his arrival upsets the balance of the house. The discussion amongst critics on Twitter appears to suggest that 'The Past' will undoubtedly be amongst the favourites when the awards are handing out by jury president Steven Spielberg on May 26. Bejo was singled out for particular praise for her stunning performance and the actress concedes that he had plenty of offers from Hollywood after The Artist won big at Oscars, choosing instead to work with the one of "the world's best directors" in Farhadi.

Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian wrote of the new movie, "It is an intricate and often brilliant drama, with restrained and intelligent performances; there is an elegantly patterned mosaic of detail, unexpected plot turns, suspenseful twists and revelations." Deborah Young of the Hollywood Reporter was equally enamoured with the movie, writing, "Farhadi's nearly flawless screenplay foregoes the explosive shocks that electrified Fireworks Wednesday and About Elly and drove A Separation on to win the Best Foreign Language Oscar. The Past plays like a low-key adagio in the hands of a masterful pianist, who knows how to give every note it's just nuance and how every single phrase affects all the rest." 

Continue reading: 'The Past' Emerges As Early Favourite For Palme D'Or At Cannes Film Festival

The big event this week was the world premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness in London, attended by the entire cast, director J.J. Abrams, the writers, producers and any celebrity in shouting distance of Leicester Square. The film is gaining buzz among critics who have already seen it in advance of its UK release next week. It opens in America on May 17th.

This week's big release in America is Iron Man 3, which has already made more than $300 million worldwide. In the UK, there's an eclectic mix of new releases in cinemas, from the dark action of Dead Man Down, starring Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace, to the wacky comical antics of Pedro Almodovar's I'm So Excited, which features cameos from his regulars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Star Trek Into The Darkness Excites Fans, Matthew McConaughey Premiere's Mud And Fast And Furious 6 Is Announced