Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here is one of the best films at this year's festival with an extraordinarily brilliant use of image and sound.
Joe, lead character is played by Joaquin Phoenix who is subtly excellent. The narrative is filled with cineaste delights - straightforward and raw imagery (Thomas Townend ), elliptical editing and flashbacks (Joe Bini) and inventive use of sound (Drew Kunin).
Scottish helmer Ramsay makes up for a bunch of non-sizzlers this year in the official selection. Cannes must have known what they were doing to hold on to this film and screen it on the last day. Ramsay is no newcomer to Cannes where her shorts "Small Deaths"(1996) and "Gasman" (1998) have been screened, as were her features "Ratcatcher" (2000) and "We Need to Talk About Kevin"(2011). An impressive BAFTA and Cannes Youth Jury award winner"Movern Callar" (2002) remains a classic female indie. Now, if Ramsay were a man she would have been continually receiving funding and six years would not have elapsed since her last film at Cannes. It is well known that women who make films have difficulty staying in the funding clubs typically reserved for tried and true men. Yet, Ramsay famously returns to the flock with quality creations.
You Never Were Really Hereconcerns Joe, suffering from PTSD from both childhood and military service, which emboldens him to pursue the abductors of a senator's teenage daughter Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov) involved in a trafficking ring. Joe lives part of the time with his 80 year old mother ( played by the fabulous "Golden Girl"Judith Roberts). The film is a brash treatment of PTSD - post traumatic stress disorder from childhood, continuing through adult hood: visually depicting scars from abusive parents, and the atrocities of war. Set in the mind of children, and adult children with adult skills, the protection of long life wounds create defense shields of weapon command and hand to hand combat.
A rowdy 60ish pot bellied Spanish speaking journalist settled down after guffawing and tromping his sweaty feet on the Salle Bazin red velvet seats, laughing where it wasn't funny in the late night screening May 26, trying to make the film about him. That was something to experience how the film calmed down his arrogance. It must have sobered him up and made him realize that Cannes tries to be about good cinema and is not a popcorn haven for obnoxious mall theatre go'ers bent on releasing their pent up rage and stress. He was after all in Salle Bazin - named for André Bazin ("What is Cinema?") Maybe he was a "Joe". That is how virtuous the film is.
I knew that Lynne Ramsay would topple theScreen Daily grid today and here's to a " Palme d' Or" for this spectacularly well-directed, well-edited and well-crafted film. PTSD has never been so well represented...."Loveless" by Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev is the only film to receive higher ratings.
Let's hope the jury thinks so too and Monsieur Président Pedro Almodóvar!