Josh O'Connor and the price of stealing art from a museum

Special Envoy to the Cannes Film FestivalTwo years afterlooting Etruscan tombs inThe ChimeraJosh O'Connor returns to the Cannes Film Festival as an art thief, but this time it's not ancient relics he steals, but abstract paintings.The mastermindIn Kelly Reichardt's The Dark Knight, the British actor is an unemployed carpenter, married with two children and a conventional life in the Massachusetts suburbs that clearly falls short of what is expected of the son of a judge. The occasional petty theft from the local museum has no consequences, but the theft of four works by abstract painter Arthur Dove, which he steals from a museum with the help of two henchmen, second-rate criminals, does.

The mastermindIt could be the minimalist and muted version of athrillerof the Coen brothers: Reichardt surrounds the protagonist's actions with a veil of everyday life that places the story somewhere between genre cinema and a comedy of manners. And she does so with tension, a touch of dark humor, and expressive restraint; there are few explanations for the criminal drift of this painting-loving carpenter, JB, magnificently embodied by O'Connor, who has something of a Safdie brothers character in him, as much for his determination and recklessness as for his self-destructive drive.

Kelly Reichardt's films are the antithesis of effective art-house cinema in the style ofEmilia Pérezwhich usually makes so much noise in Cannes. InThe mastermindThere is a clear desire to bury emotions and let the audience speculate about the characters' decisions. All of this is excellently narrated by the director ofFirst cow(2019) andWendy and Lucy(2008). Reichardt films how JB digs his own grave with admirable sobriety and restraint, which, however, comes at a price: the systematic neglect of the American director's films from festival awards.Showing up, which later didn't even premiere in our house, and will surely happen again withThe mastermind. Be that as it may, it is the best representative of American cinema seen at this edition of Cannes.

The Dardenne's 'maternal'

A curious choice to close the official competition: the Dardenne brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc, with two Palmes d'Or, are the only sacred cows that year.Young mothers, which they presented this Friday, focuses on a shelter for teenage mothers, as Pilar Palomero also did inThe maternal(2022). In Dardenne's case, the focus is on an ensemble cast; the film shifts its focus from one mother at the center to another, each with her own particular problems and challenges, starting with immaturity and loneliness, but with a strong determination to improve their lives and those of their children.

Young mothersIt is one of the Dardennes' most luminous films, but perhaps the Belgians' cinema is at its best when it leaves more room for ambiguity and contradictions. The directors' great skill in filming the adventures and dilemmas of their characters with nerve is once again evident, but more than ever the directors ofRosettaThey are carried away by an almost didactic impulse that remains quite present in the story. However, we must recognize their ability to extract exceptionally natural performances from their cast of unknown faces, as well as to create small moments of overwhelming emotion that, despite seeing them coming, still impact you.

Favorites for the Palme d'Or

Seen by sentence, the official competition leaves some clear favorites for the winners that will be announced on Saturday, starting with the IranianA simple accidentby Jafar Panahi, a forcefulthrillermorale, in whose favor the director's personal circumstances play a role. He spent time in prison in 2023 and filmed the film clandestinely. The German director should be on the list of winners.Sound of falling, a powerful phantasmagoric drama of great expressive ambition. Also in the mix are the BrazilianThe secret agent, the NorwegianSentimental valueand Catalan productionSirado, by Oliver Laxe, highly praised by the international press, and which this Friday has already won two minor awards, the Cannes Soundtrack for best soundtrack and the Palm Dog for best canine performance.PilgrimageCarla Simón's film, on the other hand, despite having been well received, is not initially considered a favorite for the Palme d'Or by international critics.