The announcement of the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival marks the largest Canadian presence at the festival in the last 12 years. More than 300 Canadians from across the country will be on the Croisette from May 14 to 25, 2024.

In the official selection, Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice (his third film in the official selection at Cannes) and David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds (his seventh film in the official selection at Cannes) have been selected for competition. In the short film competition, Perfectly a Strangeness by Alison McAlpine is in the running. Telos I by Emil Dam Seidel and Dorotea Saykaly, and The Roaming by Mathieu Pradat have been selected for the new immersive competition. Finally, out of competition, Rumours by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson is part of the selection.

In addition, the parallel sections of the Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week include Une Langue Universelle (Universal Language) by Matthew Rankin and Alazar by Beza Hailu Lemma.

The films Rumours, The Shrouds, and Une Langue Universelle (Universal Language) received funding from Telefilm Canada.

“Canadian talent shines brightly at Cannes,” said Julie Roy, Executive Director and CEO of Telefilm Canada. “This year’s outstanding representation reflects the artistic excellence of a variety of talents, from the most experienced to the emerging, and the incredible diversity of the stories they tell us, in all their forms. This is what characterizes our national cinematography, which resonates and captivates audiences around the world. This exceptional year also demonstrates the growing interest of other countries to collaborate with Canada. It’s truly stimulating to see this openness of working together, strengthening our cultural and creative ties, and enriching our global film scene!”

In addition to the Cannes Film Festival, the large Canadian delegation will also be taking part in the Marché du Film (featuring 27 Canadian titles), playing a key role as project promoters. This active participation will enable Canadian film professionals to connect with potential partners, develop new projects and explore opportunities to collaborate on an international scale. This reflects Canada’s commitment to promoting its audiovisual industry and strengthening its ties with the global film community.

Sphere Films today confirmed David Cronenberg’s highly anticipated The Shrouds will have its world premiere in the Official Competition at the Festival de Cannes in May. The film starring Vincent Cassel (La Haine, Irréversible, Black Swan), Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds, In the Fade), Guy Pearce (Memento, LA Confidential, The Hurt Locker) and Sandrine Holt (Daredevil: Born Again, House of Cards) will open in theatres across Canada later this year.

The Shrouds is written and directed by David Cronenberg (Crimes of the Future, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, Crash) and produced by Martin Katz for Prospero Pictures (A Dangerous Method, Cosmopolis, Maps to the Stars), Saïd Ben Saïd (Elle, Maps to the Stars, Last Summer) and Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent (Strange Way of Life, Trailer of the Film That Will Never Exist: “Phony Wars”). This is the seventh time that a David Cronenberg film has been selected to compete in Cannes. His films have previously won a Special Jury Award (Crash) and Best Actress Award (Maps to the Stars). ​ The Shrouds also reunites Cronenberg with Cassel, who previously collaborated on Eastern Promises and A Dangerous Method.

“Being selected for the Cannes Film Festival is an immense honour, but to return for the seventh time is incredibly humbling. I look forward to sharing this film with the world on such a prestigious stage,” said David Cronenberg.

Shot on location in Toronto in 2023, The Shrouds tells the story of Karsh, 50, a prominent businessman. Inconsolable since the death of his wife, he invents GraveTech, revolutionary and controversial technology that enables the living to monitor their dear departed in their shrouds. One night, multiple graves, including that of Karsh’s wife, are desecrated. Karsh sets out to track down the perpetrators.

“The Shrouds is an audacious and human film, so apt for our times,” said Martin Katz of Prospero Pictures. “It also marks our fifth collaboration with David Cronenberg and our second collaboration with Saïd Ben Saïd, both lasting relationships and deep friendships of which we are very proud.”

The Shrouds is produced by Martin Katz for Prospero Pictures, Saïd Ben Saïd, and Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent in association with Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates, Eurimages, and Canal +.

ABOUT SPHERE FILMS

One of Canada’s foremost distributors, Sphere Films serves both the local and international markets with premium content across all genres. Sphere Films delivers the best of Canadian and international cinema, including the Academy Award-winner for Best Picture, Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite. Other recent releases include the critically acclaimed films Crimes of the Future and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Academy Award-nominated The Worst Person in the World, the Quebecois produced Arsenault et fils and Maria Chapdelaine. The Sphere Films brand belongs to Sphere, a Canadian film and television industry leader with offices in Montréal and Toronto.

ABOUT PROSPERO PICTURES

Prospero Pictures is the film and television production company founded by Martin Katz, whose credits include Hotel Rwanda, which was nominated for three Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. For over two decades, Prospero has produced films with celebrated director David Cronenberg, including A Dangerous Method, which had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival, Spider and Cosmopolis which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and Maps to the Stars, for which Julianne Moore received the Best Actress Palme d’Or at Cannes. Prospero’s television projects include Ice Road Truckers, one of History Channel’s highest-rated documentary series and Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…, an award-winning music and performance series hosted by Elvis Costello with appearances by Bono, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock, Rufus Wainwright, Renée Fleming and Diana Krall, co-produced with Rocket Pictures’ David Furnish and Sir Elton John.

ABOUT SBS PRODUCTIONS

SBS Productions was founded by the French-Tunisian film producer, Saïd Ben Saïd, in 2010.

SBS is driven by a commitment to produce authors internationally renowned and finds its unity through the advocacy of a cinema that is both demanding and accessible. Its most recent productions received awards throughout the world, among which Paul Verhoeven’s Elle which won the Best Foreign Picture at the 2017 Golden Globes, Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms which was awarded with the 2019 Golden Bear at the Berlinale and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Bacurau which received the 2019 Jury Prize in Cannes, Ira Sachs’ Passages which was selected at Sundance festival in 2023 and Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, which premiered in the Competition at Cannes 2023.

ABOUT SAINT LAURENT PRODUCTIONS

Saint Laurent Productions is a registered subsidiary of the house, marks the first fashion house to count the full-fledged production of films among its activities. The division, envisioned by Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent, is in line with Vaccarello’s assured steering of the brand into the future, while echoing the cinematic breadth and nuances of his collections.

By Amanda Gilmore

No one does a courtroom drama better than the French. Last year Director Alice Diop brought us the engrossing Saint Omer and this year Director Justine Triet brings us the riveting Anatomy of a Fall.

It follows Sandra (Sandra Hüller), a well-esteemed writer, who lives in a secluded cabin in the French Alps with her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) and their partially blind son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner). One day, Daniel returns from walking the family dog and finds his father face down in the snow dead at the foot of the cabin. The investigation can’t determine if this was suicide or homicide leading to Sandra being arrested and tried for his murder.

The opening of Anatomy of a Fall has Sandra being interviewed by a student about her work. Abruptly, rap music blares and shakes through the cabin. Sandra informs the student that her husband enjoys listening to music loudly while he works on some repairs. At first glance, this scene seems unimportant. Yet, nothing about this Film should be taken at first glance.

Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari have crafted a complex story that’ll leave you second-guessing everything. This initial scene becomes evidence later in court. As does many moments from the mundane to the damaging. The most damaging is an audio recording of a heated argument between the couple that ended with glasses breaking and punches thrown. But by whom? Sandra or Samuel?

At the start of the trial, the prosecutor informs the court that Sandra’s bisexual and has had affairs. It’s clear this is just as important in the determination of her innocence as anything shown as evidence. Just as in many high-profile cases that are considered difficult to determine, the defendant’s private matters are dissected.

Triet doesn’t want to give you answers. She wants to show you the evidence presented and have you decide for yourself. Was it suicide? Was it homicide? What makes things more challenging to make a concrete decision is Hüller who gives a tour-de-force performance. She’s mysterious, intriguing, cruel, funny and nurturing. It’s an incredible portrayal and one of the year’s finest.

No matter what conclusion you’ve come to, Anatomy of a Fall’s superpower is the ability to leave room for the audience to debate. Because some will believe she did and some will believe she didn’t. Even more impressive, regardless of which side of the coin you fall on, every viewer will pinpoint a different part of the ‘evidence’ to prove their reasoning. Much like the reality we face in publicized high-profile court cases.

Anatomy of a Fall screens at Cannes ’23:

Sun May 21 at 4PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Mon May 22 at 8:30AM at AGNÈS VARDA THEATRE

Mon May 22 at 9AM at CINEUM IMAX

Mon May 22 at 12PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Mon May 22 at 9:30PM at LICORNE

Tue May 23 at 9AM at CINEUM AURORE

Wed May 24 at 9AM at CINEUM SCREEN X

Quentin Tarantino returned to Cannes, site of where he won the 1994 Palme d’Or with Pulp Fiction. He appeared as a guest of the Directors’ Fortnight competition, presenting a secret screening of the John Flynn classic ROLLING THUNDER. On why he chose this Film specifically, he tells the audience that he saw it opening night back in 1977 with his mom, the Film screening as part of a double-billing to ENTER THE DRAGON. He wound-up loving ROLLING THUNDER so much that he almost forgot about ENTER THE DRAGON!

Tarantino comments on political messages in his films. He spoke about how he can watch a buddy cop movie and not think about the political messages behind it, because he doesn’t know if there is one. But when I comes to the films he writes and directs, he says “If there are political messages in the film they are there because I put them there.”.

While Tarantino is known for graphic violence in his films, he does draw the line, stating, “I don’t agree with killing animals”. He adds, “I know I have seen some gruesome Horror films that didn’t have to be that way but almost always it’s not just the violence that I have a problem, with it’s usually badly done. There is an incompetent factor in there.”.

To this day, he cites Brian De Palma as his biggest influence. “I’m not gonna sign up for the most popular dude. That’s not my thing. Part of loving De Palma was getting into fights about him”. “The satire and comedy inside his thrillers even some of his action films are hysterical.”.

He also comments on re-writing history with revenge in his films. “In the case of Inglorious Basterds I didn’t think that I was going to kill Hitler at the end. That wasn’t the plan.”. “Then they’re in the theatre and I’m like ‘Hey, this is kinda working out. They actually might be successful at this. But I wrote myself in a corner…then all of a sudden a thought came to me ‘Just fucking kill him!’ and I’m like ‘Can I do that?’, then I’m like ‘Yea, it’s my story, I can do whatever the fuck I want!'”. “With Once Upon A Time in Hollywood… the reason I wrote the whole story was the save Sharon and kill those motherfuckers and have them go to the wrong house and REALLY THE WRONG HOUSE!“.

Lastly, on his tenth and final upcoming film, he is cryptic about it. “You’ll just have to wait and see…to be continued.”.

By Amanda Gilmore

Visionary Director Wes Anderson delivers a witty Sci-Fi about loneliness.

Asteroid City is about a TV show broadcast about a play that’s about people visiting a place called Asteroid City. Yes, you read the correctly. In typical quirky Anderson fashion, he brings us into this story through a character telling a story. In so doing, he delivers layers of themes that merge into one universal look at humanity.

Anderson first introduces us to a black-and-white TV Show with a story being told by a Broadcast Host played brilliantly by Bryan Cranston. He tells us about a playwright (Edward Norton) who was in search of a cast to perform in his new play that had yet to have a name — ahem…it becomes titled Asteroid City. Anderson then pulls back the curtain and brings us into the play, broken down with title card Acts and Scenes, and the familiar world of vibrant colour we’ve come to expect from the visionary arrives.

The play is about Augie (a fantastic Jason Schwartzman) who’s driving to Asteroid City with his son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) and three daughters. Woodrow is going to be awarded a medal at the Junior Stargazer convention in the town. When they arrive, Augie informs his children that their mother passed away three-weeks prior. This is the first indication of a slightly darker tone for Anderson even while being in this enchanting colourful world. He examines themes such as grief, loneliness and slight apathy.

While in a diner in-town, Augie and Woodrow meet actress Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson) and her daughter (Grace Edwards). Johansson excels in this quirky role that we rarely get to see her play. Her character is quite meta as she’s an actress who’s playing an actress in the play Asteroid City.

Augie and Midge slowly build a kinship as they often meet in the windows of their adjoining rentals. Angie runs lines with Midge as she rehearses for her next big role. Frustrated that he isn’t giving much emotion, Augie finally confesses. He hasn’t been feeling much of anything since his wife’s death. This leads Midge to tell him to use that grief and put it into the character.

For all of the spectacular visuals in Asteroid City, this is the most beautiful thing Anderson has delivered. This is a small but powerful message of how art can help channel emotional pain. He cements this theme when we return to black and white. As the actor playing Augie steps backstage and out on a balcony. He runs into the actress (Margot Robbie) who was going to play his wife before they decided to kill off her character. With only this scene, Robbie captivates as she delivers a monologue about the grief of losing the role but the fact that she’s now at a different production just next door. Things end but you need to feel and work through the emotions to move forward.

Anderson’s packed in quite an Ensemble that whom knock it out of the park. He also delivers on the Sci-Fi front. With a few scenes that are such fun that you’ll be craving more.

Asteroid City screens at Cannes ’23:

Tue May 23 at 7PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Wed May 24 at 8:30AM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Wed May 24 at 8:30AM at AGNÈS VARDA THEATRE

Wed May 24 at 2:30PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Wed May 24 at 4PM at CINEUM IMAX

Thu May 25 at 2PM at CINEUM AURORE

Sat May 27 at 3:15PM at AGNÈS VARDA THEATRE

By Amanda Gilmore

Sam Levinson’s latest TV Series is Euphoria meets 50 Shades of Grey, while set in the world of a Pop Superstar.

The first two episodes, which screened Out of Competition at Cannes, sets up the mindset of Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp). She recently lost her mother which led to a nervous breakdown that derailed her last tour. Now she’s releasing anticipated new music with the hope to be the greatest, sexiest pop star in America. However, she’s still grieving over her loss, leaving her vulnerable.

Cue club owner Tedros (Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye), who sees the vulnerability and takes advantage of it. He swoops in and helps her remix her newest single. As Jocelyn is already underwhelmed by the original version, Tedros ignites a passion within her again. But will this new romantic-professional relationship bring new heights or the deepest of lows for the Popstar?

There are lots of provocative sexualized scenes in The Idol. For those familiar with Euphoria, the scenes here are dialed-up a notch further. However, these provocative scenes are being used to highlight bigger themes and messages within the Script. Here, Levinson — and Co-Creators Tesfaye and Reza Fahim — are dissecting the highs and lows of a life of a pop icon.

In the first episode, a compromising photo gets released online of Jocelyn. It shows the singer with ejaculate on her face. Everyone on her team immediately attempts to spin this into a positive light for the star. This brings us to the life of the busy bees that surround and ‘manage’ a popstar. Additionally, it highlights how they keep her protected from these horrible things for fear of another break.

The people surrounding Jocelyn care for her deeply. Some even take on the role of pseudo-parents (Hank Azaria and Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s characters) even if they don’t always know what’s best. The person who will move mountains for her is her best friend and Assistant Leia (Rachel Sennott). Sennot is superb as the caring friend who’s the only one who sees Tedros as the snake he is.

In his acting debut, Tesfaye, dawning a Rattail, gives a chilling performance as the manipulative Tedros. In these first two episodes, the Actors share tantalizing scenes that people will have mixed feelings over. However, once again Levinson is using them to inform the viewer of the mental states of his characters. Tedros is controlling while Jocelyn succumbs to his demands.

Depp gives a groundbreaking performance that will skyrocket her character. And the Supporting Cast is outstanding. To name a few not priorly mentioned: Troye Sivan, Jane Adams and Blackpink’s Jennie Kim. And at the end of the second episode, Red Rocket breakout Suzanna Son delivers a show-stopping performance while sitting at a piano.

We’re excited to see where the Series goes from here.

The Idol screens at Cannes ’23:

Mon May 22 at 10:30PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

By Amanda Gilmore

Finnish Writer-Director Aki Kaurismäki is back with his signature deadpan humour in this delightful romance about two lost souls.

Ansa (Alma Pöysti) is a middle-aged woman who goes from job to job. Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) is a middle-aged man who loses work due to drinking on the job. By chance, they meet one night in a bar in Helsinki. However, a subsequent series of terrible mishaps attempts to keep them apart. But that won’t stop them from attempting to be with the first loves of their lives.

Kaurismäki sets this Tragicomedy in the present day and focuses on the working class in Helsinki. When we first meet Ansa, she’s working in a supermarket and takes expired food home with her. This ultimately leads her to be fired and she finds another job that will help cover the bills. Holappa works in construction and spends all his spare time drinking in bars with his colleagues.

There’s a detachment when they lose their jobs. As though they expect these bad things to happen to them, it’s part of their life. Kaurismäki has created a world filled with melancholic characters. Even the men who are drinking in the bars — and there are many bars — appear devoid of hope. There are multiple scenes where the characters turn radios and hear news of the war in Ukraine.

In true Kaurismäki fashion, his deadpan humour succeeds in this world filled with melancholy thanks to his expert Script and his superb casting. Ansa and Holappa’s romance is the spark that both characters need to find joy again. It’s the splash of colour they both needed in their dreary lives and this heavy world. Pöysti and Vatanen deliver intricate deadpan performances and share an undeniable chemistry.

Fallen Leaves is a funny, whimsical tragicomedy that will leave you with a well of feelings.

Fallen Leaves screens at Cannes ’23:

Mon May 22 at 4:45PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Tue May 23 at 9AM at CINEUM IMAX

Tue May 23 at 12PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Tue May 23 at 4:45PM at LICORNE

Tue May 23 at 5PM at AGNÈS VARDA THEATRE

Wed May 24 at 9AM at CINEUM AURORE

Thu May 25 at 11:30AM at CINEUM SCREEN X

By Amanda Gilmore

Jude Law is superbly horrendous as Henry VIII in Director Karim Aïnouz’s first English-language Film.

Firebrand begins with the King’s sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), left in charge while he’s away. When he returns, obese with swollen oozy legs, Catherine is forced to the side once again. She sees a better way to rule and hopes to influence her husband in the right direction. However, will that determination cause her to end up like her husband’s prior five wives?

At the beginning of the Film, we are told that history is mainly told about men and wars. Firebrand is telling history about neither of the two. It’s proudly focusing on the brave, intelligent Catherine. It’s the first film about Henry VIII told actually from a Feminist point of view.

Catherine cares for all of the prior wives’ children as though they were her own. She is generous to her servants. She even warns her childhood friend whose a vocal critic of the King of his return, even though she’s aware that this act of rebellion may lead to her death. Vikander gives a fierce performance as the courageous Catherine. It’s one that will be among the finest of the year.

Director Aïnouz delivers a brutal Historical Drama that forces you to watch the inhumanity of Henry VIII. His wickedness fully unleashes when his fragile ego leads him to concoct a belief that Catherine has been cheating on him. While Catherine is pregnant, Henry hits, drags and attempts to rape her over this false belief he’s created. Aïnouz’s unflinching direction focuses on this barbarity. It’s a performance from Law unlike any other in his already remarkable career. He’s truly grotesque, revelling in his cruelty. The pairing of Vikander and Law makes for one enthralling showdown that leads to one of the most satisfying film endings.

Firebrand screens at Cannes ’23:

Sun May 21 at 7:30PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Mon May 22 at 9AM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Mon May 22 at 1:30PM at AGNÈS VARDA THEATRE

Mon May 22 at 2PM at CINEUM IMAX

Mon May 22 at 7PM at LICORNE

Tue May 23 at 12PM at CINEUM AURORE

Wed May 24 at 12PM at CINEUM SCREEN X

By Amanda Gilmore

Director Todd Haynes’ campy Dark Comedy May December is a sharp look at trauma and a critique of Hollywood’s invasive nature.

Actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) travels to Savannah, Georgia to research her newest role. It’s for a biographical Film of a notorious tabloid romance between Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) that happened 20 years prior. Lucky for Elizabeth, Gracie (who she’s going to portray) has invited her into the now-married couple’s home. But when the Actress begins asking personal questions to get to the heart of her character, it forces the couple to confront their past.

Haynes’ tempered direction infuses camp humour into an unsettling story. Gracie and Joe began their affair twenty years prior. Gracie was a fully-formed adult with children and a husband, while Joe was in seventh grade. Their relationship shocked the news when they were caught in the stockroom of the pet store they both worked at. Gracie went to prison where she discovered she was pregnant with Joe’s child. Now, 20 years later, they’re married and share three children.

When Elizabeth arrives, it’s clear there are cracks in the marriage. Gracie spends her time anxious, often sobbing in bed in the middle of the night. Additionally, she controls Joe, treating him more like one of her children than her husband. In her fifth collaboration with Haynes, Moore is at her most mysterious ever. Balancing Gracie on the fine line between neurotic fragility and savagery. 

May December critiques not only Gracie for her stomach-churning crime. It’s an examination of Hollywood’s invasive nature of these stories. Even the Cinematography by Christopher Blauvelt is hazy and feels glamorous like an old Hollywood film. Elizabeth inserts herself into the lives of Gracie, Joe, their children and their extended family. She has invasive questions without remorse for the effect they cause. Portman is in top form as the Actress whose true motivations become clearer the more people she meets who are impacted by the affair.

This theme becomes ever more prominent once Elizabeth tells Joe that she’s doing all this for the “story”. That’s when it hits Joe that Elizabeth never cared about him. She doesn’t even look at him as human. He’s just a character that Hollywood is going to use to earn profit and accolades. Melton is a revelation as he goes toe-to-toe with the caliber of talent he is placed alongside. His performance is heartbreaking as a — still — young man whose unaddressed trauma is turning into crippling stress and anxiety.

Haynes’ camera observes his characters, allowing the audience to become the judge and jury to Gracie and Elizabeth. The only character who can walk away with a clean conscious is Joe, who both women are traumatizing in different ways. With the diligent pacing of the script by Samy Burch, each character slowly unravels like one of the monarchs Joe cares for. Well, all but Gracie who remains an enigma.

May December screens at Cannes ’23:

Sat May 20 at 10:30PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Sun May 21 at 9AM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Sun May 21 at 11AM at AGNÈS VARDA THEATRE

Sun May 21 at 6:15PM at CINEUM IMAX

Sun May 21 at 7PM at LICORNE

Mon May 22 at 11AM at CINEUM AURORE

Tue May 23 at 11AM at CINEUM SCREEN X

…

By Amanda Gilmore

Director Martin Scorsese is back with the ’20s set Killers of the Flower Moon. The story, adapted from the true story and novel by David Grann, focuses on members of the Osage Native American tribe of Osage County, Oklahoma. During the ‘20s, oil was found on the tribe’s land. It gave them wealth but also made them a target. Soon after discovering the oil, White people flocked to Osage Country in search of wealth. William Hale (Robert De Niro) was one of the first ones there. He built a strong foundation with the tribe and is considered a comrade. When Hale’s nephew Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) comes back from the war he returns to Hale’s home. Before long, Ernest has become smitten with wealthy Osage Mollie (Lily Gladstone). Once Hale gets word he lets it slip that if Ernest were to marry Mollie he would inherit all her money when she dies.

No one does it like Scorsese. The celebrated Filmmaker has managed to make the 3 1/2-hour runtime breezes by. This is thanks to his meticulous pacing, the engrossing story and the powerhouse performances. None more so than Gladstone whose surrounded by two heavyweights in the industry yet commands our attention. She’s truly a force to be reckoned with.

Killers of the Flower Moon shines the spotlight on the atrocities that happened to the Osage tribe by white people. Hale is the ringleader of the heinous acts inflicted on the Osage people. De Niro is in top form as the greedy, savage man who’ll stop at nothing for wealth. It’s impossible to think that anyone could pull off this role other than him. He’s our entry into the corrupt system that was at play by White people against the Osage tribe.

Screenwriters Scorsese and Eric Roth expose the system that aids in the crimes Hale orders. That system includes doctors, insurance brokers and more who work together to inflict and keep horrendous acts secret. Hale was a master manipulator, even to his own Nephew. Upon first introduction, it’s obvious that Ernest is gullible, slightly daft and money-obsessed. DiCaprio is a powerhouse that delivers a character that has the ability to manipulate himself and the audience.

The Film might be set in the ‘20s, however, there is a direct correlation to today, most prominently with the missing and murdered Indigenous women. Hale’s acts are leading to the deaths of the Osage people but no one investigates. As expected, Scorsese doesn’t shy away from the brutality inflicted on the Osage people. One scene shows Mollie’s deceased sister Anna’s body being cut up by doctors, who claim that was part of their examination, in front of the public.

Killers of the Flower Moon is a Film that rarely gets made. Scorsese deserves credit for giving a voice to the Osage tribe and showing the atrocities that happened to them. It’s an important Film that will change minds, open hearts and hopefully will make people want to fight for the heinous injustices still being committed against Indigenous peoples across the world.

Killers of the Flower Moon screens at Cannes ’23:

Say May 20 at 7PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE