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CANNES FESTIVAL SELECTION UNVEILED

Protesters and no WIFI network, but an intriguing slate of films

PARIS, this morning - One tweet. That’s all I could manage to send from the Cannes Festival’s press conference, the yearly event before-the-event held in a large movie theater at the top of the Champs Elysées. The network (wifi or cellular) quickly crashed, enveloping the event in a blanket of secrecy. After the conference I rushed into a bar nearby so that I could order myself a 7 euro-bottle of ... more >

A painful WORKPLACE QUANDARY gets highlighted in the new Dardenne bros. film

Metascore 92/100
[Les Films du Fleuve, Archipel 35, BIM Distribuzione]
Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

"Two days, one night" centers on Sandra (Marion Cotillard), a factory employee who's just returned to work after recovering from an illness. Upon realizing that the company can run with one less employee, management tells Sandra she is to be let go while the remaining employees will receive a bonus each. Talk about a dilemna. In this tenderly-observed and suspenseful drama the action is essential. ... more >

The Kid with the Bike

A child goes on a quest for a missing father
Thomas Doret, Jérémie Rénier and Cécile de France
Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

Cyril (Thomas Doret) is an unruly twelve-year old who moves into an orphanage after being abandoned by his father (Jérémie Rénier). The kid is obsessed with finding a father who's gone missing and who also sold the boy’s beloved bike. His path crosses Samantha’s (Cécile de France), a hairdresser who will eventually become his surrogate family and accept to take the boy in on weekends. She buys ... more >

CANNES ’11 – The kid with the bike

Twelve year-old Cyril (Thomas Doret), abandoned by his father (Jérémie Rénier), lives in a state-run children’s home. He is inarticulate, rebellious and intent on finding the father who not only has gone AWOL without a word to Cyril or a forwarding address but has sold the boy’s much-loved bike. Cyril’s path crosses that of Samantha (a luminous Cécile de France), a hairdresser who becomes a ... more >