Nothing works. Neither the summer temperatures, nor the call of the beach, nor even the absence this year of American actresses and actors – in solidarity with the screenwriters’ strike movement launched at the beginning of May, across the Atlantic – have succeeded in diverting the faithful to the Deauville American Film Festival. Once again, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., the public filled the various projection rooms dedicated to the event. Ticket sales even recorded a 20% increase, two weeks before the launch of the festivities.
Enough to satisfy Bruno Barde who likes nothing more than favoring films rather than the star system. “The mass presence of the public means that we have succeeded in creating, in 25 years, in Deauville, a community of cinema lovers, cinema-loving spectators, curious about American films, independent and intelligent,” underlines the director of the festival since 1995 who, despite the withdrawal of those concerned, insisted on maintaining the planned tributes to Peter Dinklage, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Jude Law. “These tributes are not only about welcoming those we honor, they are also accompanied by a program of their films. I would have found it rude to cancel them”.
The world of the Cohen brothers
The directors, on the other hand, had made the trip. Twenty-four in total including the tireless Jerry Schatzberg, 96 years old, author of around fifteen feature films including The Scarecrow (Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1973), Panic in Needle Park (1971) and the very beautiful Portrait of a fallen child (1970). And then, the films were there, 80 of them including 14 in official competition (9 being first feature films), selected among the 300 viewed by Bruno Barde. A selection of fine quality overall, whose most accomplished proposals have, as soon as revealed, earned their place as undeniable favorite in the list that everyone likes to establish in their corner, over the ten days of screenings.
A unanimity that the jury led by Guillaume Canet, in this 49e edition of the Festival, did not deny. Which awarded the Grand Prize to LaRoy, Shane Atkinson’s first feature film, an incredible story of a deceived husband who, following a misunderstanding, finds himself responsible for executing a man. The mission he believes will help him gain respect. Only, you don’t want to be a gangster and our guy (magnificent John Magaro), not very smart, will let himself be outflanked and overtaken on all sides. Nothing will obviously go as planned for this hero whose project rebounds according to multiple external interventions. Which build throughout the film a gallery of characters worthy of the world of the Cohen brothers. The connection with the duo of filmmakers is obvious. Same America of the left behind – brave, not very smart guys who act first and think later. Same sense of burlesque mixed, here, with a touch of melancholy. LaRoy seduced in all directions, achieved a solid success, also garnering the Audience Prize and that of the Critics’ Jury.
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