Express@Cannes: Not enough life to forgive and forget Michael Douglas a big fan of India
Homecoming by Catherine Corsini Past wounds, especially the ones inflicted by those closest to you, dont fade easily; quite often, a lifetime isnt enough to forgive and forget. Homecoming, directed by Cannes regular Catherine Corsini, is about a woman who returns to Corsica after fifteen years in an attempt to lay her ghosts to rest. When Khedidja left with her two little daughters, she was trying to deal with a terrible blow that upended her life; now, the girls are eighteen and fifteenthe former a diligent sort who wants to study further, and the latter a hot-headed rebel, and she herself has mellowed considerably. Her job as a nanny in a wealthy household gives her daughters access to an atmosphere they are clearly not used to: leisurely sit-down meals, cozy dips in a private pool, and promise of future largesse. But Khedidjas act of reconnecting with an old friend of her late ex-husband without realising its consequences reignites unhappy memories of her early married life in which her husbands white family didnt know how to treat her, a black woman, with respect. A desire to rediscover your roots, laced by racism and heartbreak, is at the heart of Corsinis film, which has wonderful performances across the board: Aissatou Diallo Sagna as the mother, and Suzy Bemba and Esther Gohourou as the two daughters, form a unit whose closeness is threatened by the revelations that blow up in their faces. The bond that ties them together strains, but finally holds up. Families matter. Black Flies by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire Grizzled senior partners showing tips and tricks to wide-eyed rookies is an old movie trope. Black Flies, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Shannon Burke, and directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, captures a bunch of New York paramedics as they race through the city answering SOS calls. We see them reaching the scene of shoot-outs and medical emergencies, bundling the grievously wounded into their vans, administering first-aid and hoping that they will stay alive till they reach the hospital. As they hold their breaths, so do we. Sean Penn is terrific as Rutkovsky, the older man with a fraught personal life and a solid professional ethic. Keeping him able company is Tye Sheridans earnest new recruit Ollie, who lives in a cheap rental in China Town, studying in his spare hours to crack medical college exams. But his real learning comes on the job, dealing with the extreme violence that is such a distinctive feature of big cities underbellies and their inhabitantsdrug users and pushers, immigrants, people of colour. The two-hour run time does make itself felt in bits, and a couple of scenes veer near racial-profiling, but for the most part you are sucked into the acute psychedelic frenzy which these lives are always on the edge of the wedge. Saving those lives may spring from a noble impulse, but the streets are hard and unforgiving, and those that are being bundled up and carted off to hospital may not be grateful. As Rut says, You cant save everyone, even with all the toys and training. Douglas, a big fan of India A surprise visitor at the India Pavilion this morning was Michael Douglas, who stopped by for a few minutes to speak a few words, calling himself 'a big fan of India'. Douglas, 78, now has an honorary Palme DOr, a perfect gift from a festival which has been welcoming the star for over forty years. Douglas told the gathering that he has been to India thrice, and hopes to return someday to make a film. And that his wife (Catherine Zeta Jones, who is here with him) is 'a great Bollywood dancer'. Well, now we know.
Friday, May 19, 2023 at 2:12 am