Cannes. Heroes.

"Bruno Merle's debut feature abounds in cinematic references," writes Bernard Besserglik in the Hollywood Reporter of the Critics' Week entry, Héros. "No description of this movie could make it sound like anything other than a mess; in principle, it ought not to work, but somehow it does. This is largely because of the bravura performance of [Michael] Youn, who positively sizzles on the screen, playing Pierre like Samuel Beckett on speed."

Emmanuel Burdeau for Cahiers du cinéma: "Let it be known that it is not unlike anything else - in spite of what has been said by one of its actors, Patrick Chesnais - but reminds us of everything we're surrounded by: celebrity, the crisis in comic function, and what's chic and trashy à la Gaspar Noë."

"When presenting the film, its two lead actors Patrick Chesnais and Michaël Youn described it, respectively, as an 'atypical project' and 'a UFO among current French films,'" reports Vitor Pinto for Cineuropa. "It was easy to sense the restlessness about how such a film would be received on the Croisette but, in the end, there was no room for disappointment."

"Imagine a raving lunatic screaming at you virtually non-stop for two hours, six inches from your face, and you will begin to get an idea of what it is like to watch Heroes," warns Peter Brunette in Screen Daily.

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Cannes @ 60. Index.

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Posted by dwhudson at May 19, 2007 4:08 PM