Picture yourself walking the exciting streets of the French Rivera at the Cannes Film Festival. The surroundings are beautiful and picturesque, and the films are breathtaking, infused with a bit of foreign flair. Not planning a trip any time soon? No worries, British director Henry Jaglom takes you there in the independent film about the film industry in Festival in Cannes.
Exploding with French flavor right from the start, Festival in Cannes delves into the lives of seven people trying to make it in the Cannes festival. The film opens with American actress Alice Palmer and friends chatting about their new movie at a Paris cafe. A crazy fan named Kaz Naiman sweet-talks Alice into a deal to produce her movie and get her noticed around Cannes.
Witty and intoxicating, Festival in Cannes works because of its documentary style, realistic acting and intertwined characters. Jaglom leads seven relatively unknown actors in a spiral of events that ultimately pieces most of them together.
The acting throughout the film is intriguing, especially since the stellar performances come from relatively unknown actors. The lingering of the tacky French music throughout the movie provides a sense of essence that compliments the teeny bikinis.
In between the parties, premieres and press activity, Festival in Cannes successfully places the audience inside the clich?d world of French film. But, viewers with na?ve expectations of the industry should steer clear.