The shadow of Depardieu's conviction over the Cannes Film Festival opening
"He is not a sacred monster", but "a man" subject to the law commented Binoche, as the film "Partir un jour" passed by in silence.
3' min read
Key points
- Juliette Binoche's comment
- The power of music in 'Partir un jour'
- A passion for cooking
- Feelings in music
- Operation Nostalgia
3' min read
A few hours before the opening, the shadow of the in absentia conviction of Gérard Depardieu, one of the greatest figures in French cinema, is looming over the Cannes Film Festival. The actor was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence for harassment and sexual assault against two women working on the set of the film Les Volets verts in 2021. Depardieu, through his lawyers, has already announced that he will appeal.
Juliette Binoche's comment
Jury president Juliette Binoche thus commented on the conviction of the French actor who has participated in 20 editions of the French festival, including 14 in competition. "He is not a holy monster" but "a man" subject to the law, Binoche said.
The power of music in "Partir un jour"
.The first film, Partir un jour, by Amélie Bonnin, out of competition, thus passes almost unnoticed. First of all we note the importance of music, which takes us back to a fertile ground of childhood or youthful emotions. The plot is very simple: Cécile (Juliette Armanette, an irregular face with whom one immediately sympathises) is about to realise her dream of opening a gourmet restaurant in Paris, after many hard years of work, but a piece of news makes her urgently return home to her provincial home where her family runs a restaurant for truck drivers with excellent cuisine.
The passion for cooking
.It was there that she learned everything, from her father, played by a very good François Rollin, who taught her how to cut food, prepare it, mix smells, recognise tastes and assemble them. And along with passion comes self-denial. The urgency of returning to help out the family distances Cécile not only from the new restaurant she is about to open, but also from another personal affair, on which her future and that of her partner Sofiane (Tewfik Jallab) depends. In addition, the air of home brings back memories of old passions for an old flame that has never faded, Raphael (Bastien Bouillon).
Feelings in music
.The real surprise of this film is definitely the music track, which at one point leads the characters to sing about their feelings to the music that probably pivoted in the life of the director, born in 1985, including Alors On Danse by Belgian singer and rapper Stromae, Mourir sur scène by Dalida, Pour que tu m'aimes encore by Céline Dion, Femme Like U by K. Maro et Partir un jour by 2Be3.
