In competition movies in Cannes 2012

The Cannes Festival is almost here and today the official line-up has been announced. There are multiple categories, but I will focusing on the In Competition movies- check out below a couple of things you should know about each one and some trailers to go along with it, too.

In Competition

Amour, directed and written by Michael Haneke


-          Previous works of MH: The Piano teacher, Funny games

-          Stars  Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant and William Shimell

-          Synopsis: A retired couple deals with aftermath of the wife suffering from a debilitating stroke. (IMDb)

The Angels' Share, directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty

-          Previous works of KL: The wind that shakes the Barley,

-          Stars: Roger Allam, Daniel Portman and John Henshaw

-          Synopsis: Narrowly avoiding jail, new dad Robbie vows to turn over a new leaf. A visit to a whisky distillery inspires him and his mates to seek a way out of their hopeless lives. (IMDb)

Baad el mawkeaa, directed by Yousry Nasrallah



-          Surprisingly enough, no information about it on IMDb and nothing clear in the first pages of Google

Beyond the Hills, directed and written by Cristian Mungiu



-          Previous works of CM: 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days (Palme D’or winner)

-          Stars Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur and Valeriu Andriuta

-          Synopsis: A drama centered on the friendship between two young women who grew up in the same orphanage; one has found refuge at a convent in Romania and refuses to leave with her friend, who now lives in Germany. (IMDb)

-          Particularly happy for this one, as I remember being so excited and proud when he won the Grand Prize a couple of years ago (yes, shocking revelation, I am Romanian)

Cosmopolis, directed and written by David Cronenberg, based on a novel by Don DeLillo

-          Previous works of DC: Eastern Promises, History of Violence

-          Stars Robert Pattinson, Jay Baruchel and Kevin Durand

-          Synopsis: Riding across Manhattan in a stretch limo in order to get a haircut, a 28-year-old billionaire asset manager's day devolves into a odyssey with a cast of characters that start to tear his world apart. (IMDb)

-          Looks absolutely crazy and I love it, I am intrigued by it! Plus, dare I say Robert Pattinson might do a fantastic job in it? He looks very good in the trailer

Holy Motors, directed and written by Leos Carax

-          Previous works of LC: Pola X, Les amants du Pont-Neuf

-          Stars Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue and Michel Piccoli

-          Synopsis: The drama follows a day in the life of a young actor (played by Denis Lavant) as he moves from one set to another, sharing scenes with various partners. [Synopsis Courtesy of Next Movie]

-          Big names, interesting premise, will attract attention

The Hunt, or Jagten, directed by Thomas Vinterberg&written by TV and Tobias Lindholm


-          Previous works of TV: Festen, Submarino

-          Stars Mads Mikkelsen, Alexandra Rapaport and Thomas Bo Larsen

-          Synopsis: a divorced man in a small country town who is accused of abusing a child. (Guardian)

Killing Them Softly, directed and written by Andrew Dominik, based on a novel by George V. Higgins


-          Formerly known as Cogan's Trade

-          Previous works of AD: The Assasination of Jesse James

-          Stars Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta and Richard Jenkins

-          Synopsis: Jackie Cogan is a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker game. (IMDb)

-          Expect big press around this movie, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the eve of their engagement

In another Country, directed and written by Hong Sang-soo



-          Stars Isabelle Huppert and Jun-Sang Yu

-          Synopsis/storyline: There are three women named Anne who each consecutively visit a seaside town. They each stay at the same small hotel by the shore and venture onto the beach where each of the Annes meet a group of the same people including a certain lifeguard who restlessly wanders up and down the beach. Huppert plays all three of these different Annes and aside from her, the rest of the cast is all Korean, although the film was mostly shot in the English language. (Screendaily)

In the Fog, directed by Sergei Loznitsa


-          Stars Vladimir Svirskiy, Vladislav Abashin and Sergei Kolesov

-          Synopsis: Western frontiers of the USSR, 1942. The region is under German occupation. A man is wrongly accused of collaboration. Desperate to save his dignity, he faces impossible moral choice.  (IMDb)


Lawless, directed by John Hillcoat, written by Nick Cave, based on a novel by Matt Bondurant

-          Previously known as “The Wettest Country”

-          Previous works of JH: The Road, The Proposition

-          Stars Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain

-          Synopsis: Set in the Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a cut of their profits. (IMDb)

-          There was buzz around it for a long time and it is rumoured to be a very good movie

Like Someone in Love, directed and written by Abbas Kiarostami

-          Previous works of AK: Taste of Cherry, Certified Copy

-          Stars Ryo Kase, Denden and Rin Takanashi

-          Synopsis: Akiko (Rin Takanashi) a pretty young student, sells herself to help pay for her studies. But then she comes across a very unusual client: a learned old scholar (Tadashi Okuno) who shows her great kindness. An extraordinary relationship develops between her and the old man. (Awards Daily)

-          Another loved and anticipated movie, high on the betting boards

Moonrise Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson and written by WA and Roman Coppola

-          Previous works of WA: The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, Fantastic Mr.Fox

-          Stars Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton

-          Synopsis: A pair of lovers flees their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them. (IMDb)

-          Opening night, big stars, world known director, interesting trailer- buzz-worthy film

Mud, directed and written by Jeff Nichols


-          Previous works of JN: Take Shelter

-          Stars Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey and Michael Shannon

-          Synopsis: A drama centered on two teenage boys who encounter a fugitive and pact to help him escape from an island in the Mississippi. (IMDb)

On the Road, directed by Walter Salles, written by Jose Rivera based on a novel by Jack Kerouac

-          Previous works of WS: Motorcycle Diaries

-          Stars Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart, Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams

-          Synopsis: Dean and Sal are the portrait of the Beat Generation. Their search for "It" results in a fast paced, energetic roller coaster ride with highs and lows throughout the U.S. (IMDb)

-          Very anticipated and talked about film in the last few years, the big names will attract a lot of press, especially Kristen Stewart

-          Early reports say that the movie is 2h 20 min long and very good

The Paperboy, directed and by Lee Daniels and based on a novel by Peter Dexter



-          Previous works of LD: Precious, Monster’s Ball

-          Stars Zac Efron, John Cusack and Matthew McConaughey

-          Synopsis: A reporter returns to his Florida hometown to investigate a case involving a death row inmate. (IMDb)

Paradies: Liebe, directed by Ulrich Seidl and written by US and Veronika Franz

-          Director known for his documentary style

-          Stars Maria Hofstätter, Margarete Tiesel and Inge Maux

Post Tenebras Lux, directed by Carlos Reygadas

-          Mexican director, known for Japon and Battle in Heaven

Reality, directed by Matteo Garrone and written by MG and Ugo Chiti

-          Previous works of MG: Gomorra

-          Stars Claudia Gerini, Nunzia Schiano and Ciro Petrone

-          Synopsis: “...is taking a look at reality television, and at the very least, this image suggests a lighter movie than the excellent but heavy "Gomorrah." (Indiewire)

Rust and Bone, directed by Jacques Audiard
and written by JA and Thomas Bidegain

-          Stars Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts and Bouli Lanners

-          Synopsis: It starts in the north. Ali ends up with Sam, age 5, on the arms. His son, he barely knows. Homeless, penniless and friendless, Ali finds refuge with her sister in Antibes. There is much better that she's hosting in the garage of his house, she takes care of the little and it's nice. Following a fight in a nightclub, his fate crosses that of Stephanie. He brings her back to her and leaves her phone. He is poor and she is beautiful and confident. She is a princess. All the objects. Stephanie is a trainer of killer whales at Marineland. It will take the show turns into a nightmare for a phone call in the night's meet again When Ali is found, the princess is packed in a wheelchair: she lost her legs and a lot of illusions. He will simply help, without compassion, without mercy. She will revive. (IndieWire)

-          It received some buzz before hand, especially because of Marion Cotillards involvement

Taste of Money, directed by Im Sang-soo



-          Previous works of IS: The Housemaid

-          Stars Kim Gang-woo, Baek Yoon-sik, Youn Yuh-jung, Kim Hyo-jin, On Ju-wan and Maui Taylor

-          Synopsis: The story focuses on Youngjak, the secretary of Mrs. Baek, who is the leader of a powerful Korean industrial giant. Tasked with looking after the affairs of this private and morally questionable family, Youngjak is soon caught in a spiral of domination and secrets, lost between his principles and the possibility of rapid career advancement to a more comfortable life. Youngjak must choose sides to survive in this world where money, sex and power are kings. (Indiewire)

You Haven't Seen Anything Yet, directed by Alain Resnais


-          Stars Lambert Wilson, Mathieu Amalric and Michel Piccoli

My choices/picks aka The "I wish I was in Cannes to see this movie" recipients aka "I will be checking to see how these following movies do in the festival":

On the road- first and most anticipated (you know that by now); I loved the book and I have had a crush on Garrett Hedlund since Four Brothers. The trailer looks solid

Mud- for the new Michael Shannon- Jeff Nichols collaboration; the first one (Take Shelter) was amazing, so I have high expectations for the second one

Lawless- great cast

Moonrise Kingodom- cast+director+trailer+storyline= all very interesting

Cosmopolis- One word: CRAZY...or, if it pleases you, out of control

Killing them softly- mafia and a sexy Brad Pitt? Yes, I am that shallow, I will take it

Beyond the hills- sticking with the national talent! Go Mungiu!

What movies are you excited about?  If you could choose one movie to see from the line-up, what would it be? Let me know in the comments!