Cannes 2010 Predictions (Competition Films): Sokurov, Mundruczo, Moretti, Eastwood

I don’t normally associate remakes, trilogies, biopics or adaptions with films from the Croisette, but this year we could receive a little bit of all four if Aleksandr Sokurov’s Faust, Kornel Mundruczo’s The Frankenstein Project, Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grand Master and Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid make the cut. Here are the second batch of predictions.

Fair Game – Doug Liman
Bill Pohlad’s River Road might show up with pair of films – both have Sean Penn on board. Like Eastwood, the French have an appreciation for Penn – who was a recent head of juror for the fest. This would be Doug Liman’s first film at the fest – the true story nature of the film might be a trump card for the official comp. This is based on the lives of Valerie Plame and Ambassador Joseph Wilson, the married couple drawn into a D.C. firestorm.

Faust – Aleksandr Sokurov
With Moloch (1999), Taurus (2001), Russian Ark (2002) and Alexandra (2007) all selected for the main comp, we should see Sokurov’s latest in the cards — inspired by the German legend of a man who makes a pact with the devil in return for knowledge.

The Frankenstein Project – Kornel Mundruczo 
The Hungarian filmmaker has been to the fest for Little Apocrypha N°2 (Cinéfondation), Johanna (2005), and a favorite of mine in Delta in 2008. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic book, this is a re-interpretation of the story with the monster being replaced by a child, who returns home from a boarding school, struggling for the love of his family.

The Grand Master – Wong Kar-Wai
It’s been a long term marriage for the filmmaker and the fest dating back to 1989’s As Tears Go By. I cross my fingers that this would be at the fest, but then I think of the five years of post that WKW took for 2046 and I think that the chances are slim even more since he is handling sensitive material: the relationship between Bruce Lee and his master (Tony Leung) Ip Man.

Habemus Papam – Nanni Moretti
If you include short in To Each His Own Cinema, Moretti has been to the south of France on nine occasions as a filmmaker – he won for Best Director in 94 for Caro Diario and the Palme d’Or for The Son’s Room (2001), so this should land at the fest…if ready (last word is this is still in pre-production). This is about a Pope (Michel Piccoli) who decides he doesn’t want the job as soon as he’s elected. Moretti will play a psychiatrist called in by the Vatican to resolve the problem. 

Hereafter – Clint Eastwood
Not sure if Warner Bros. would consider showing off the film extra early, but this tells the story of three people who are touched by death in different ways.

Hors-la-loi – Rachid Bouchareb 
Bouchareb’s Indigènes was actually his third film at the festival, Rachid uses pretty much the same clan for a pic set in 1945 about five men set to rob a bank and finance the war of independence against the French.

The Housemaid – Im Sang-soo
Sang-soo broke out of the Director’s Fortnight with The President’s Last Bang and Jeon Do-yeon won for best actress two years back at the fest for Secret Sunshine, so at this point it isn’t a question of if?, but where: I think the toss up will be between a comp or out-of-comp slot. This is a remake of Kim Ki-young’s 1960 film about a maid who ruins a family.

Im Keller – Ulrich Seidl
Seidl received an In Competition slot in 2007 with Import Export, I’m thinking that Im Keller (In the Basement) –  doc which looks at Austrians attitudes towards their cellars would receive a Special screening showcase.

Lope – Andrucha Waddington

Major Spanish film production should be this year’s “Agora” inclusion – producers of both films would mention that these are apples and oranges example. Waddington has only been to the fest once before and received the Un Certain Regard Special Distinction for Eu Tu Elese. Lope is a focused biopic of the 16-century Spanish playwright-poet who dominated Spain’s early Golden Age of theater with spirited romantic comedies. Look for an out-of-comp slot. 

Tune in tomorrow for more!