Cannes Coverage Exclusive from George the cyclist -
Day Two

DAY TWO
Cannes is much quieter than I anticipated. And this morning when we stopped at the local supermarket to stock up on food for the day on the way in to our first screening we were surprised to learn it didn’t open until 8:30. So breakfast was quiche at a bakery.

FILMS:
We started today at 9 a.m. at the 3000 seat Palais with the first film in Competition to be screened, the Italian feature The Consequences of Love, by second time director Paolo Sorrentino. It was the story of a respectable looking 50-year-old man who is always dressed in a suit who has spent the past 8 years living in a hotel and no one knows why. His past is gradually revealed. The director has an eye for pleasing detail from faces to the shooting spray of gigantic sprinklers, and his lead holds one's attention, although doesn't necessarily grab it.

Film number 2 for the day was the first film of the Director's Fortnight, half a mile up the beach from the Palais. The Taste of Tea, a Japanese film by Ishii Katsuhito at 143 minutes was about an hour too long for me, especially with my legs still getting adjusted to the sedentary life. The film was a series of episodes in rural Japan ranging from hitting rocks with a baseball bat to playing Go and a very slight secretary beating the crap out of her boss. Most of them were meant to be comical. Some were mildly amusing and others less so. Still this is a director with a good eye for captivating images.

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Day Three tomorrow.