Cannes Film Festival 2024 Diary Day 6
Sunday, the 19th. Woke up at 5:30 AM. The jet lag magic is still going strong, so I was surprisingly able to get up without trouble. I finished watching the film I had interrupted last night on my computer, handled the 7:00 AM ticket booking (smoothly), went out for breakfast, and headed straight to the "Directors' Fortnight" venue. The 8:45 AM screening opened at 8:15 AM, and I easily secured a good seat.
The feature debut by American director Carson Lund,"Eephus" (Cover photo/Copyright Omnes Films). Ah, this is good.
I couldn't quite tell where in America it was set, but it's a story about a senior amateur baseball team playing their final game on a sunny late autumn day at a field slated for demolition. There is no doubt that this will resonate more with Japanese people than with French audiences. You can fully savor the unique, laid-back, and pastoral quality that the sport of baseball possesses. Of course, there is none of the potential "sportsmanship" intensity found in Japanese baseball; the older men drink beer, chew tobacco, chat, and are completely relaxed and at their own pace. But their love for baseball is unmistakable, and the sorrow for the field they have been familiar with for so many years comes through steadily.
The outcome of the game is not the point, and the progress or even the score is not really clear. However, individual plays emerge little by little. There is a scene in the film where a veteran pitcher explains that the title "Eephus" refers to a high-arcing slow pitch. And then, the old pitcher strikes someone out with a magnificent "Eephus." This thrill won't be understood by a nation that doesn't know baseball, and I'm happy that I can understand it. Furthermore, there is a scene that reminds us how sublime a home run is, and for a Japanese person whose senses are numbed by Shohei Ohtani's extraordinary performance, it feels like returning to the origin...
It's really quite sloppy, but the plays are actually decent, and their personalities shine through each individual play. Through the baseball that has melted into their daily lives, the players' lives and backgrounds seem to emerge. It seems the game is balanced and goes into extra innings, but as the sun sets and voices rise saying, "Let's just stop," the opinion that "This is the last game!" prevails. This makes me cry.
On the adjacent field, young people are playing soccer. It's a world so far removed that it's hard to believe it's the same sport. But for the laid-back older men, baseball is the best. And they project themselves onto the ending field. Sorrow suits baseball.
"There is nothing more beautiful than a fat man being thrown out at second base in the autumn sun." I will forever engrave this phrase, uttered by a teammate who witnessed his friend's frustrating death, into my mind...
Oh no, I could keep writing forever, so I'll stop. While I think it would be popular with Japanese people, it is fundamentally an art film rather than entertainment, so that balance might be difficult from a business perspective. No, but I want to introduce it!
From 11:00 AM, I went to the competition screening of director Jacques Audiard's new film,"Emilia Perez". This is also quite good. I wonder if it has leaped into the running for a competition award. The entire film is in Spanish.
A high-ranking Mexican gang leader wishes to become a woman and asks a prominent lawyer for help, promising a large sum of money while half-threatening her. He wants to become a woman and cut ties with the underworld. The lawyer makes the preparations, the gang leader becomes the woman he longed to be, and names herself Emilia Perez. Emilia feels liberated both mentally and physically, and while she tastes deep satisfaction, her longing for her children grows, and the lawyer is called upon again... that is the story.
It is a type of musical where characters suddenly start singing and dancing, and the music and direction are all wonderful and cool, blending into the acting and story progression without any sense of discomfort. Zoe Saldaña (the one who played Gamora in "Guardians of the Galaxy") is wonderful as the lawyer. And Karla Sofía Gascón, a Spanish actress who is actually a trans woman, plays Emilia. And Selena Gomez plays Emilia's ex-wife.
Setting aside the fact that changing gender aligns the body and mind, one of the themes is whether the original gang-like temperament can also be changed, and while I felt it was delving into gender theory, I was carried away by Audiard's masterful storytelling. As expected. This will surely be involved in the awards.
Leaving the screening, I headed to the "Japan Pavilion," a hub for the Japanese film industry, to MC a talk from 1:00 PM. It was a last-minute decision, but I am honored to be asked. Moreover, it was a talk inviting director Koji Yamamura and director Yoko Kuno to commemorate the two animations selected for "Directors' Fortnight": Yamamura's short film "Very Short" and Kuno's feature film "Ghost Cat Anzu" (co-directed with Nobuhiro Yamashita), so as someone who helped with the Niigata International Animation Film Festival, I am very grateful.
We asked about the production process, the significance of international co-production, and the impact on creativity, and the hour flew by. This time, we used consecutive interpretation for the Japanese talk, so one hour was not quite enough, and once we started, more things I wanted to ask came up... I hope there will be another opportunity to hear from the two of them in Japan.
From 4:15 PM, I went to the "Special Screening" section for the new documentary by French director Claire Simon,"Elementary" (French title: Apprendre). Festival director Thierry Frémaux took the stage and, while mentioning the Lumière brothers, in whom he is an expert, paid tribute to director Claire Simon, who filmed a school movie with origins in Lumière's cinematography. Director Simon has previously filmed the entrance examination process for "La Fémis," a famous French film school, and has shown a deep interest in the organization of film and school. This time, she turned her camera on children in a Parisian elementary school.
Starting with the hands-on teaching in the lower grades of elementary school, there is a debate about religious views in a grade equivalent to third grade in Japan, and music performances in the higher grades; the state of elementary school classes is depicted from multiple angles. It was very interesting to see a side of French elementary education, and I couldn't help but be captivated by the frank appearance of the children.
From 7:00 PM, in the "Cannes Premiere" section, director Leos Carax's new film,"It's Not Me". A collage of various images and words, including his own works. It is truly a straightforward homage to Godard and can be seen as a succession of Godard's style. It is condensed to about 40 minutes and is truly a feast for the eyes.
Before the screening, a staff member announced, "There is a surprise after the credits, so please stay in your seats." Apparently, Thierry Frémaux said the same thing at yesterday's premiere. French audiences leave their seats immediately after the film ends, so if you don't tell them that, they'll miss it. And the surprise was truly a surprise! I was really surprised, or rather, it was happy! I don't think you'd ever guess it no matter how much you try, so if the opportunity to see it in Japan arises, I really hope you look forward to it!
Although I headed to the 10:30 PM screening, urgent work came up, so I returned to the hotel and sat at my computer. After various things, I went to bed at 2:00 AM.