Cate Blanchett blew kisses to the Cannes Film Festival audience as her new film “Rumours” received a four-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night.
Audiences welcomed the film’s dark humor, laughing throughout the late-night screening. While some auditoriums emptied as the credits rolled, the majority of moviegoers waited patiently to pay their respects to the film’s stars. Blanchett’s “Rumours” co-star, Alicia Vikander, was noticeably not present.
The film’s trio of directors — Jay Madden, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson — seemed surprised by the relatively new tradition at Cannes of handing the director(s) a microphone for post-screening remarks. They gave a speech together after the applause ended, thanking the audience and quoting their own movie by saying “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.”
The black comedy follows a group of world leaders who meet for the G7 – a political and economic meeting of the minds between Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – but get lost in the woods while trying. To formulate a joint statement.
In addition to Blanchett and Vikander, Rumors also stars Charles Dance, Roy Dupuis, Denis Minoucher, Nikki Amoka-Bird, Rolando Ravelo, Takehiro Hira, and Zlatko Buric. It is screened out of competition at Cannes.
Co-director Madden is one of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers and is known for his experimental style. His previous films include The Saddest Music in the World (2003) and Winnipeg (2007). With Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, Madden co-directed 2017’s The Green Fog, which revisited Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo through found footage.
Blanchett previously appeared on Croisette for Todd Hine’s “Carol” (2015), for which she received a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards. In 2018, Blanchett served as president of the festival’s jury. Vikander was last at the Cannes Film Festival for Karim Aïnouz’s film “Firebrand”, which competed for the Palme d’Or.
“Rumours” is produced by Square Peg, Buffalo Gal Pictures and Maze Pictures.