2019 Cannes Critics’ Panel: Day 4 – Jessica Hausner’s Little Joe

A staple figure of the Un Certain Regard section with three trips dating back to 2001’s Lovely Rita and 2004’s Hotel with her last feature Amour Fou (2014) being profiled there, the only non-Cannes anomaly in her output so far has been 2009’s Lourdes which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Jessica Hausner makes her first trip to the competition with what appeared to be a Little Shop of Horrors-esque / Invasion of the Body Snatcher stale about breeding. Starring Emily Beecham, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox, some cool lab plants and lab coats, this genre item is production design bliss, meticulous in design and feels like a cross between Akerman and Kubrick.

This flower rubbed off on several critics the wrong way, but some were enchanted by its perfume. With almost half the grades in, this nonetheless could  be a contender for a Best Director prize on the croisette this year.

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