Pans and Praise at 2016 Cannes Film Festival

Pans and Praise at 2016 Cannes Film Festival

Several American movies are among the leading candidates for the biggest award at the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d’Or. Others got booed.

The prize for worst reception so far goes to “The Last Face” directed by Sean Penn. The movie star-director-political activist¹ attempts a story about the romantic and humanitarian² struggles of two aid workers in Liberia. It stars Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem. Some critics wonder why the film centers on their relationship instead of the horrors faced by the local people they are supposed to help.

Benjamin Lee of the Guardian³ online writes, “This is not a film about Penn helping⁴ people, it’s a film to show how much he wants to be seen helping people.”

The movie was severely⁵ panned on Twitter after its Cannes debut⁶. Tweets described “The Last Face” as racist⁷, “transcendentally bad” and “a chore to sit through.”

Joachim Kurz tweeted “The Last Face feels like competition in suffering. Who suffers most: Theron? Bardem? The Refugees? Or maybe the viewers?”

Candidates for Palme d'Or

Two American movies are considered strong candidates for the Palme d’Or. “Loving” from director Jeff Nichols is based on true story of two Americans who were sentenced to prison for marrying each other in the 1950s. Mildred and Richard Loving fled Virginia to avoid jail after they were found guilty of violating state law barring interracial marriage.

Mildred Loving was black and Richard Loving was white. The two took legal action against the state of Virginia for its action. They won the case in 1967, when the Supreme⁸ Court ruled the law violated the United States Constitution.

A joint⁹ British-American movie is also on top of some Palme d’Or prediction lists. British filmmaker Andrea Arnold directed the film “American Honey.” It stars American actors Sasha Lane, Shia LeBoeuf and Riley Keough.

Lane stars as a poor Texas teenager with little support or supervision¹⁰ from adults in her life. She meets up with a group of similar teenagers and begins a cross-country trip with them.

“American Honey” is Arnold’s first film set in America. Reviews have been mostly positive. Critic Eric Kohn of Indiewire praised the film for capturing the “explosive sense of liberty that comes with living dangerously.” Reviewers also expressed excitement about the debut film performance of Sasha Lane. The Hollywood Reporter described the young actor as “luminous¹¹.”

The Palme d’Or jury this year includes Australian director George Miller¹², American actor Kirsten Dunst and Iranian producer Katayoon Shahabi. The winning film will receive the prize in a ceremony on the festival’s closing day, Sunday, May 22.

Words in This Story

boo - v. to show dislike or disapproval¹³ of someone or something by shouting “boo” slowly?

romantic -? adj. of, relating to, or involving love between two people?

pan -? v. to criticize (a book, movie, play, etc.) severely?

transcendentally -? adv. surpassing?ly

debut -? n. the first time an actor, musician, athlete, etc., does something in public or for the public?

luminous -? adj. producing or seeming to produce light?; shining

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

6 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

7 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

10 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

11 luminous   

adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的

参考例句：

• There are luminous knobs on all the doors in my house.我家所有门上都安有夜光把手。
• Most clocks and watches in this shop are in luminous paint.这家商店出售的大多数钟表都涂了发光漆。

12 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

13 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。