Between Singin’ in the Rain and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the atmosphere in Cannes was quite wet at the beginning of the second week. Two films were on the schedule: a Japanese one, the tenth in the competition, and a French one out of competition.
SHOPLIFTERS (Manbiko Kazoku), directed by Kore-Eda Hirokazu (Japan)
While shoplifting with his young son, Osamu encounters and takes in a little girl, quickly realizing that she is being mistreated by her parents. Despite their poverty and cramped living conditions, Osamu’s small family (which also includes a woman, a grandmother, and a spirited “sister-in-law”) decides to keep the girl with them. Everyone seems happy until an incident suddenly reveals the secrets of this charming yet mysterious family.
In 2013, the director charmed the festival with Like Father, Like Son, which took the theme of swapped babies from Life Is Not a Long Quiet River and Japanese-inspired it. With Shoplifters, he strikes again with a gently anarchistic work, full of whimsy and humor. And quite an iconoclastic demonstration: there can be more love in a dishonest pseudo-family than in a very honest real family. Also noteworthy is a fantastic cast, both young and old.
LE GRAND BAIN, directed by Gilles Lellouche (France)
A group of misfits (played among others by Amalric, Canet, Poelvoorde, and Anglade) are taken in hand by two female coaches to create a men’s synchronized swimming team from scratch. A challenge meant to give meaning to lives that are sorely lacking it.
Clearly, being a bankable actor is an asset for anyone like Gilles Lellouche who wants to move behind the camera. Additionally, it can allow presenting one’s film at Cannes out of competition, enjoying the festival’s prestige without the risks. Indeed, there is little to justify this shaky remake of The Full Monty. The viewer has more than two hours to make an unflattering comparison with the English film. The movie also highlights – as my partner reminded me after the screening – the quirks and flaws of a certain type of French cinema (somewhat gratuitous actor performances, psychology at every turn, diluted social reality, weak script…). In short, it is primarily a buddy film for a buddy, and it’s not clear that one would want to be part of the gang.
