What Lars Von Trier REALLY said at Cannes

After screening every one of his films, and celebrating even the ones every one else didn't like much (Antichrist, I'm looking at you...), the Cannes film festival banned controversial Danish director Lars Von Trier from the festival & declared him persona non gratia after comments he made at a press conference about Hitler & Nazis. 

I'm not the biggest fan of Von Trier as a person (although I admire the boldness of his films), but for a film festival that thrives on pushing boundaries, Cannes' reaction to Von Trier's comments are curiously politically correct. While what he said was controversial, and perhaps careless, there is plenty of context to his comments.


Judge for yourself (the clip is worth watching for Kirsten Dunst's reaction alone) :

Dunst admits she was upset by his comments at the time, but insists that his words merely 'came out wrong' & that they are still friends.


Here is Dunst's take on things, just after winning Best Actress at Cannes:

Cannes Winners

Brad Pitt in Terence Mallick's Tree of Life

So the critics weren't crazy about it, and it got both 'whoop!'s & 'boo!'s at Cannes, but Terrence Malick's Tree of Life has won the Palme D'Or.

All the winners:

Palme D'Or: The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick
Grande Prix: (tie) Le Gaumin au Velo - Dardennes brothers & Once Upon a Time in Anataolia - Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
Best Director: Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst - Melancholia
Prix du Jury: Polisse - Maiwenn
Prix du Scenario (Best Screenplay): Hearat Schulayim - Joseph Cedar 
Camera d'Or (Best first film): Las Acacias - Pablo Giorgelli
Un Certain Regard: Prix Special du Jury: Elena - Andrey Zvyagintsev
Best Short Film: Cross Country

I hope this isn't the last we hear of Jean Dujardin in The Artist, but don't bet on Kirsten Dunst going much further than Cannes. Although Lars Von Trier is phenomenal with his lead actresses, his films are tough to swallow, and while Cannes thrives on difficult films, the Oscars don't. Bjork (Dancer in the Dark), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist) & now Kirsten Dunst have all recently won Best Actress at Cannes for their roles in difficult Von Trier films.

Only Emily Watson (for Breaking the Waves) has ever gotten an Oscar nomination for a performance in a Von Trier film. But maybe just maybe Dunst has enough goodwill with the Academy to pull it off?

But this certainly marks Tree of Life as your first likely Best Picture nominee - it may divide critics & audiences, but it will likely get enough impressive attention to get it into the Top 10.

Faye Dunaway for the 64th Cannes Festival

Swoon