Inventive, oneirical at times, sometimes absurdly humorous, Argentinian filmmaker Rodrigo Moreno’s “Los Delincuentes” (“The criminals” in the original Spanish) was a pleasure to discover for its originality. Moran, A high-level bank employee comes up with an elaborate plan to divert a bag of cash from his employer. In the commission of his crime he involves another employee, one whose code of ethics is beyond reproach

On Wednesday I watched two films that treated the same subject, youth, “Monster” and later in the night, “Le Retour” by Catherine Corsini who was in Cannes previously with “La Fracture.”

“Le Retour” (“The Return” in the original French). There isn’t much new left to say about anything as concerns young adulthood. It’s a time for exploring, trying on various selves, observing others and mimicking, or not

In Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster,” competing for Palme D’Or, a small boy and his mother, the father dead and buried, the boy’s in school and the mother works in a dry-cleaners. At the start of the film a building in their neighborhood catches fire and they watch from the balcony, mother and son looking more like two friends. She’s carefree, unaffected by the pressures of raising a son but vigilant nevertheless. They place a small cake with candles in front

Seventeen years, that’s a long time to prepare a film, and it’s how long actress-director Maïwenn has spent on “Jeanne Du Barry,” which inaugurates the Cannes Festival today, a film that’s a nod to Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” which was shown here in 2006, but also a nod to the past since real-life Marie-Antoinette became Louis XVI's wife, ending the courtesan's favored place in the court. It is thanks to "Marie-Antoinette"

CANNES, FRANCE - Some firsts at the Cannes Festival which starts today, an Italian contingent in the competition slate and what I look forward to the most this year.

At the helm of the festival this 76th edition a woman, Iris Knobloch, who replaces Pierre Lescure as president of the festival after a tenure that lasted six years. Programmer Thierry Frémaux and she already know each other

CANNES, France — The euphoric “Leto,” shown in Cannes a few years ago (and a film everyone in the press room could agree on), “Petrov’s Flu,” in 2021, a hard-to-follow angsty dream of a movie which you might better enjoy on LSD and if you don’t do LSD then it’s OK because watching it will make you feel like you’re on it and this year in Cannes, “Tchaikovsky’s wife” (“Zhena Chaikovskogo” in the original Russian) a period piece shown from

CANNES, France — Marco Bellocchio's "Esterno Notte" ("Exterior Night") is an essential and dramatic film that soberly tells the truth of an important period of Italy’s history, a pivotal moment, the kidnapping and killing of Aldo Moro, former President of Italy.

"Esterno Notte" is a made-for-TV miniseries, six episodes that were combined and screened on Wednesday in Cannes in the Cannes premiere