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What would typically be “just another Cannes opener” has been ladled with a bit of extra significance because the international film system is, in so many words, fucked, but at least that very significance is shedding a bit of light on inequality. Yes, Le Tête haute will be the first female-helmed festival opener since Diane Kurys’ A Man in Love (circa 1987). Whether or not Emmanuelle Bercot’s endeavor is actually worth a damn, qualitatively speaking, remains to be seen.

At least there’s some sort of preview. Mere weeks from unveiling it in the south of France, Wild Bunch have released a trailer for the domestic drama that, despite the headline-friendly presence of Catherine Deneuve, primarily concerns a boy, Malony (Rod Paradot), whose developmental growth Bercot charts from the ages of 6 to 18. (The great icon of French cinema is seen as a judge who attempts to help him over the years.) It’s difficult to gauge much from this preview, given the lack of subtitles, but a description of Le Tête haute‘s set-up makes the picture sound ambitious in just the right ways. Want to know when you can know it? Check back for our review once Cannes starts up.

Have a look below along with the poster:

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What did you make of the preview? Does it seem like a proper opener for Cannes?

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