With a Gangster film, WWII tale, Old Asian lady portrait and a period piece in the Main Competition you’d think we’d be talking about last year’s batch of films: e.g.: Mother, Basterds and Bright Star. Not a recycling of story ideas, but rather same genres, among the surprise films below being nominated in the category, I was expecting Tavernier to occupy an Out of Comp or Special Screening slot. Here are four more from the 16.
Outrage — Takeshi Kitano
The story begins with Sekiuchi (Kitamura Soichiro), boss of the Sannokai, a huge organised crime syndicate controlling the entire Kanto region, issuing a stern warning to his lieutenant Kato (Miura Tomokazu) and right-hand man Ikemoto (Kunimura Jun), head of the Ikemoto-gumi.
Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) – Rachid Bouchareb
This is about soldiers from France’s North African colonies who helped liberate Gaul from the Nazis during WWII…
Poetry – Lee Chang-dong
This is a drama about a lonely woman (Jeong-hie Yun) in her 60s, who is searching for a new meaning at the end of her life…
La Princesse de Montpensier – Bertrand Tavernier
Based on a short story by Madame de La Fayette (published in 1662), co-scripted by Tavernier and Jean Cosmos, La Princesse de Montpensier is a tale of the passions and tragic fate of a princess, a rich heiress of a French kingdom under threat in the wars of religion of 1562.
