Meanwhile, in Cannes… Courage according to Jafar Panahi, the Stewart/Johansson match and a first winner revealed

The Cannes competition is entering its final stretch, and some serious contenders could still shake up the jury's opinions. Three new films were added to the battle for the Palme d'Or on Wednesday: "The History of Sound," a gay romance by South African Oliver Hermanus, starring Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor; "Sentimental Value," by Norwegian Joachim Trier, starring American Elle Fanning and his favorite actress, his compatriot Renate Reinsve; and "Romeria," by Spanish director Carla Simon, a 38-year-old who already won the Golden Bear in Berlin in 2022 for "Our Suns."

It is impossible to separate "A Simple Accident" from Jafar Panahi's personal situation in Iran. A long-time designated enemy of the mullahs' republic, the filmmaker has been successively censored, placed under house arrest, banned from filming, and then imprisoned, the exponential curve of sanctions being enough in itself to demonstrate his consistent insubordination. While he had previously indulged in maliciously flouting the restrictions imposed by the regime (the aptly named docudrama "This Is Not a Film" ), "A Simple Accident," filmed without authorization, this time plunged him fully into secrecy.

This frontal gesture connects Panahi to the spontaneous revolts initiated by a young generation that have been flourishing throughout the country since the beginning of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. The story takes up the insurrectional principles and the use of direct action: believing he recognizes the agent who tortured him when his car breaks down, Vahid kidnaps the presumed culprit and prepares to take justice into his own hands. Before postponing the execution, doubting he has captured the right executioner (the latter fiercely denies what Vahid accuses him of).

From his initial desire for brutal justice, "A Simple Accident" quickly escalates in ardor, attempting to construct the outline of a more measured, democratic outcome. Vahid involves his former imprisoned comrades, invited to pronounce on the identity of the accused. The search for the truth thus collides with the complexity of the world as it is. The culprit's wife, about to give birth, forces the members of the small improvised tribunal to find an urgent solution, while violence and everyday corruption lurk. So many seized bolts of a society under the yoke of tyranny, despite the general goodwill. The use of violence is a constant threat weighing on all the characters, a sort of eternal inner demon always ready to emerge.

The ending, somewhere between a muscular indictment and a remake of "The Exorcist," says no different. It's a powerful moment, which literally takes away the dramatic intensity of the film, and forces the small community of moderate apprentices to take a leap into the void, which at the very least involves living forever with their traumas and living alongside evil.

Critics' Week is the first parallel section to award its prizes, before the official selection. Chaired this year by director Rodrigo Sorogoyen , the jury this year crowned "A Useful Ghost," a wacky queer comedy starring Thai star Davika Hoorne, reincarnated as a vacuum cleaner.

The AMI Paris Grand Prix in this parallel section of the festival was awarded to this 2-hour-10-minute feature film, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's directorial debut. Featuring sexy ghosts, a battle of household appliances, and a romance between a man and a vacuum cleaner, the director attempts to give a political dimension to a genre that's popular in Thailand: queer cinema. To give his film substance, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke enlisted the help of one of the country's most popular actresses and models, Davika Hoorne , and her 18 million Instagram followers.

It's the clandestine match, the unofficial face-off of this fortnight, the Hollywood clash at the top: in Un Certain Regard, the debut films of Kristen Stewart and Scarlett Johansson, respectively entitled " The Chronology of Water" and "Eleanor the Great," are competing. Sexy, isn't it ? On the steps, yes, on screen, much less so. A review of these two radically different features. And the verdict at the end.

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