Cannes 2026 – Day 8: the Zviaguintsev shock, Almodovar’s music, Harari’s response…
Every day, the hot spot live from the 79th Cannes Film Festival.
Film of the day: Minotaur by Andreï Zvyagintsev (in competition)
In this Cannes edition, where very clever is the one who could give a favorite to the Palme d’Or (Suddenly ? Fjord ? Paper tigeracclaimed by the international press), a new serious candidate emerged on Tuesday afternoon. A regular at awards on the Croisette (Interpretation Prize for his main actor in BanishmentKonstantin Lavrenko in 2007, Un Certain Regard Prize in 2011 for ElenaJury Prize in 2017 for lack of loveScreenplay Prize in 2014 for Leviathan): Andrei Zvyagintsev.
The 62-year-old Russian filmmaker, exiled in France, revisits here The Unfaithful Wife by Chabrol in the Russia of 2022 where a successful business leader will decide to settle manu militari the adulterous affair that his wife and mother of his son is experiencing with a photographer. Everything is said in this pitch and the arc of the scenario will leave almost no room for surprise. And this is precisely what makes Minotaur so striking. The way in which, through this criminal act of revenge, Zvyagintsev encapsulates all the excesses, the silent and much more explicit violence of Putin’s Russia at war with Ukraine.
Amorality as a compass, the small arrangements and big shenanigans as protective shields of a criminal whose impunity Zviaguintsev recounts through a staging that is both precise and plays on the long duration of the scenes (the cleaning of the crime scene, the disappearance of the body, the face to face with the police…) to better make it unbearable. A great moment in cinema.
Songs of the day: Autofiction by Pedro Almodovar
Amarga Christmas. The real title ofAutofictionits Spanish title, is a “ranchera” by José Alfredo Jiménez that Chavela Vargas transformed into a stunning lament. New year, new life, and we know the rest: we change nothing, we drink again, we bleed again. Almodóvar and Chavela Vargas, it goes back. He has made this Mexican singer his priestess since Kika ; she appears in his films and her hits are widely cited in The Flower of my secret, Julieta, Pain and Glory. She returns here, but in a more frontal way.
First by the title. Then because we hear his voice in the film, Amarga Christmasprecisely, which is not a simple soundtrack but squarely sums up the essence of this cruel and very personal tale: a Christmas in reverse, the party as a test and the garland as a rope to hang oneself with… But a little later, another lament will streak the film: at the party given by Rossy de Palma, the young Amaia Romero gets up and sings “Las simples cosas” almost a capella. Close-up. Worry. Total disorder. Pedro conveys all his emotion through another woman’s voice. The succession of Chavela, without saying it. And it’s magnificent.
Today’s response: Arthur Harari reacts to the Canal Plus controversy
Signatory of the anti-Bolloré column published in Release before the start of the Cannes Film Festival, the director was questioned about this affair which is shaking up French cinema during the press conference for L’Inconnue. On Sunday, Maxime Saada, the chairman of the board of Canal Plus, declared that he no longer wished to work with those who had supported this text.
“In a year there are elections, there has never been a greater possibility that a far-right party will govern France. This group is fundamental in the financing of French cinema, and not only French, it is one of the lungs of European cinema. Canal has contractual commitments towards the diversity of cinema. This company is part of a group owned by Vincent Bolloré which concentrates a rather dizzying number of press and television outlets where the orientation is very clearly to the extreme right. This thing had to be named. This is why I signed, not necessarily by adhesion for each term of the forum. The Canal Plus teams, the management of Canal Plus, the editorial policy of Canal Plus, which is in favor of diversity, has more than my respect. It’s like the existence of the CNC which is directly threatened by the representatives of the National Rally who say they want to dismantle the CNC. I do not equate Canal Plus, the aid policy and the efforts that are made, to what the Bolloré group is and to what the ideology of Vincent Bolloré is.”
The winning comeback of the day: Malou Khebizi in The Golden Triangle (Special Sessions)
Malou Khebizi was “born” in Cannes two years ago Rough diamond by Agathe Riedinger. But this character seemed so close to her that doubt remained about her ability to transform the essay and not remain the actress of a single role. Two years later, the doubt is lifted. Because it never stopped spinning (Enzo, Love me tender…) and because, for his first leading central role since Rough diamondshe wears The Golden Triangle on his strong shoulders. In this first feature by Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz, she plays a young woman hired in the service of a rich Saudi prince and his mistress, installed in a mansion in the 16th arrondissement of Paris which will quickly transform into a golden prison capable of closing in on her and her “boss”, much more fragile than she lets on.
The film suffers from plot weaknesses but has the merit of not unnecessarily psychologizing things and drawing an unexpected eulogy of a sorority that is anything but obvious at first glance. But his major asset lies in the way in which Malou Khebizi takes hold of his character to take him where he is least expected, through his breaks in rhythm, his ease in playing firmness and softness, explosiveness and interiority with the same accuracy. This Wednesday, we will find her in Cannes in Orange flavored wedding by Christophe Honoré and on October 7 in the 15/18 by Cedric Khan. His career is only just beginning.
Video of the day: Adam Driver and Miles Teller for Paper Tiger
They play two brothers in Paper Tigerand we took advantage of their presence in Cannes to ask them to tell us about their work with James Gray, who delivers a very personal story here. “I was very flattered that James wanted me to tell this story“, tells us Miles Teller. “I had a lot of empathy for him during this whole hellish creative process. It must have been difficult watching actors portray the darkest time in your family’s life“
The tear of the day: Low Expectations at the Filmmakers’ Fortnight
It had to happen at some point: with fatigue helping, our little movie-loving hearts broke down in front of Low Expectations. The story of a musician, Maja, who gives up her career just as it is about to explode. A life of parties, travel, drugs and alcohol got the better of her: the severe depression that followed took her back to Oslo, to her mother, who found her a position as a supervisor in the high school where she taught. Often funny (excellent opening scene where we discuss the power of fascination of Heat), the very controlled first film by Eivind Landsvik refuses to become as gloomy as its heroine, but allows itself a real moment of emotion: Maja, devoured by her unhappiness, ends up collapsing like a child in her mother’s arms. We hadn’t planned to let go of our first tears of the festival here but there was no denying it, the Norwegian and his excellent actress, Marie Ulven (herself a musician), got the better of us.
Today in Cannes
It’s starting to feel like the end, but there are still a few films left to discover. Particularly in competition with Our salvation by Emmanuel Marre, present at Critics’ Week a few years ago with Nothing to Fuckbut also The Man I Love by Ira Sachs (cast: Rami Malek, Rebecca Hall, Tom Sturridge and Ebon Moss-Bachrach). At the Fortnight, we will take a look at I see buildings falling like lightning, Death Has No Master And The Red Rocks by Bruno Dumont. Secret Heartt will be at ACID and Goodbye cruel world by Félix de Givry at the end of Critics’ Week, which will mark the beginning of the conclusion of the festivities.
Outside of competition, the day’s events will be The Battle of Gaulle: the Iron Age, Orange flavored wedding by Christophe Honoré at Cannes Première (with Adèle Exarchopoulous, Vincent Lacoste, Paul Kircher, Alban Lenoir, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Malou Khebizi… and Roma Elastica by Bertrand Mandico (with Marion Cotillard).
