Cannes Film Festival 2013: Five movies to watch out for

The much distinguished and widely publicised Cannes International Film Festival – now in its 66^th year – is underway with Steven Spielberg acting as president of the jury.

The renowned American director will preside over an eclectic jury that includes recent Oscar winners Ang Lee and Christoph Waltz alongside Britain’s own Lynne Ramsay and other high-ranking film celebrities from around the globe.

A range of films will be competing for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’ Or. With the winner being announced during the closing ceremony – hosted by Audrey Tautou – we take a look at five films that will be worth catching:

1. The Great Gatsby – directed by Baz Lurhmann (out of competition)

Although technically out of the competition, Gatsby was selected to open this year’s festival. Early reviews have already surfaced and the general consensus seems to be that Lurhmann’s characteristically exuberant visual style – while typically impressive – does not lend itself to capturing the essence of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s much-admired American classic novel.

Read our full review of The Great Gatsby here.

2. Only God Forgives – directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (in competition)

Expectations could be much higher for Refn’s directorial follow-up to his 2011 critical darling Drive. Working from his own original screenplay, Only God Forgives sees Refn reuniting with Drive’s leading man Ryan Gosling who plays Julian, a Thai boxer set on avenging the death of his brother. Set in the criminal underworld of Thailand’s capital Bangkok. Even, if the early red-band trailers are – tantalizingly – quite restraint, there is every reason to suspect this will be as glorious violent and thrilling as Drive was.

3. The Bling Ring – directed by Sofia Coppola (Un Certain Regard competition)

Purportedly based on true-events Coppola’s latest film could almost be a thematic follow-on from the recent and remarkably similar Spring Breakers. Set in a world straight out of a Bret Easton Ellis novel, The Bling Ring sees Emma Watson as Nikki who, with other wealth-obsessed teenagers, gate crashes celebrity parties and steals their luxury possessions.

4. Behind the Candelabra – directed by Steven Soderberg (in competition)

America’s most diverse film director latest outing is an adaptation of Scott Thorson’s 1988 memoir about his relationship with the world-famous entertainer Liberace – played by Michael Douglas. The film will receive a UK cinematic release this summer, but will be only available to HBO subscribers in the US. This is because, as Soderberg himself has stated, studios refused to back the project, as it was “too gay”.  Contentious aspersions aside, with its trailer arriving within the past week, it’s clear they’ve not held back on the kitsch!

5. Jeune & Jolie (Young & Beautiful) – directed by François Ozon (in competition)

Early blurbs depict Ozon’s next picture as a bildungsroman focused on a 17-year-old French girl across four seasons. The details are slim, but his last picture, In the House, was such an utterly spellbinding tale of male teenage obsession and storytelling, that Ozon’s next project is automatically elevated to a must-see.

Tom Yates