Cannes. It's Hard Being Loved By Jerks.

"Freedom of speech and freedom of the press versus religious grievances are explored to edifying effect in It's Hard Being Loved By Jerks," writes Lisa Nesselson in Screen Daily. "This lively, intelligently-structured documentary chronicles the suit brought by Muslim organisations against French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo after the irreverent paper, famed for its own stable of political cartoonists, published 12 allegedly-insulting Danish cartoon interpretations of the Prophet Muhammad.... This dense, Daniel Leconte-directed documentary boasts eloquent protagonists, high stakes and a certain measure of suspense: will the values of a secular democracy whose law on free speech dates back to 1789 trump broader fears of upsetting Islamic fundamentalists?"

"While placing the action firmly in the context of the anti-Western terrorist attacks in New York, Madrid, Bali, Amsterdam, London and elsewhere, the film focuses intently on the cartoon scandal, which flared only in 2006, the year after the drawings were initially published in Denmark," writes Variety's Todd McCarthy. "The verdict is heartening if not surprising by the time it comes."

A Special Screening.

Update: "It's a serious issue, gods know, but Leconte keeps the film racing along like a Preston Sturges comedy," writes Mary Corliss for Time. "Aside from being a tribute to the liberality of the French judicial system (at least on free-speech matters), It's Hard Being Loved by Jerks is the briskest, most hilarious and, in its subversive way, most inspiring film so far at Cannes."

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Coverage of the coverage: Cannes 08.

Last year: Cannes @ 60. And Cannes 06.

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Posted by dwhudson at May 17, 2008 12:27 PM