With the first week of an underwhelming Cannes coming to a close, the Croisette began the home stretch with some new energy, thanks to a buzzy new film, a blockbuster bidding war, and the loudest, longest ovation yet. Read on for the Day 7 highlights.
The Kid stays in the picture
Cannes’ buzziest film of the first week, Jordan Firstman’s feature debut Club Kid, has officially found following a fierce bidding war. Firstman, who also stars in the film alongside Cara Delevingne and Diego Calva, premiered the comedy as part of the festival’s Un Certain Regard section, where it earned instant critical acclaim and a seven-minute standing ovation. A24 shelled out a reported $17 million for the global rights, marking the first major sale of the festival.
The film follows a New York City party promoter who attempts to turn his life around after discovering he has a son. While Firstman is best known as a social media comedian, he has also has had roles in Hacks and I Love L.A.
“This is such a dream come true,” Firstman told the crowd at the Debussy Theatre before Friday’s screening. Safe to say, that $17 million price tag just made the dream even sweeter.
The audacity of Hope
Na Hong-jin’s sci-fi thriller Hope quickly asserted itself as another of the most-talked-about titles. Competing in the main official selection for the Palme d’Or, the film earned a rousing seven-minute standing ovation inside the Grand Théâtre Lumière. Distribution studios quickly took notice: Neon signed on for North American and English-language rights, while Mubi picked up Latin America, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Turkey. The filmmaker says he already has plans for a sequel.
The film features real-life couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, who made a rare joint red-carpet appearance at the premiere, alongside fellow cast members Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton.
But despite the standing ovation, the alien thriller deeply divided critics. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich slammed the film as “undone by a terrible script and some of the worst CGI since The Mummy Returns.” Conversely, David Rooney at The Hollywood Reporter championed the feature, writing that it has “instant cult classic written all over it” and calling it a “superbly sustained, pedal-to-the-metal experience that’s almost dizzying in its bravura.”
Fjord becomes an awards front-runner
But it was Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord that has received the biggest reception at the festival so far. According to the stopwatch brigade, the film earned a 10-minute standing ovation; according to critics, it has officially entered the awards conversation.
The drama stars Oscar nominees Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as an evangelical couple whose religious style of parenting finds them entangled with Norwegian Child Welfare Services. To show their support, Reinsve’s Sentimental Value co-star Stellan Skarsgård attended the screening, alongside Cannes jury member Demi Moore.
Updated Standing-O Scoreboard
| Film | Length of ovation* |
| Fjord | 10 |
| Garance | 10 |
| All of a Sudden | 9 |
| Paper Tiger | 9 |
| The Beloved | 7 |
| Club Kid | 7 |
| Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | 7 |
| Hope | 6.5 |
| Parallel Tales | 6 |
| Ashes | 5 |
| Fatherland | 5 |
| Full Phil | 5 |
| Sheep in the Box | 3.5 |
