Standing ovation?


"After the public screening of the film during the Quinzainne de Realizateur 2015 (director's fortnight) at Cannes Festival, on the 16th of May 2015, the director and actors present (Benicio Del Toro, Melanie Thierry) received a five minutes standing ovation."

I guess you had to be there.
Don't gett me wrong, I enjoyed the movie.... a bit. I'd give it a 6/10.
Nowhere near a standing ovation.

reply

Yeah, it's more like smiling and crying a bit silently during the credits. For me, it was 8/10, worth watching, but could have been a bit better. The story they wanted to tell however worth the ovation.

reply

Well that chauffeur the salle must have been good. The movie ain't bad either imho, sheds a different light on a plight many don't think about that much.I appreciated the taleness of it all, well wrapped, some spanish ppl are good at telling stories :]

reply

I have been as a Civilian Contractor in hostile environments in two different War zones.Believe me the movie is correct in the many ways and deserves more then 10 minutes of standing ovation.
The movie tells us not just War is bad,its also tells us how our hands are tied against Army Protocols and bureaucracy even in this areas.
No matter how many bad things you see,and you know in just minutes you can fix the situation to help local people but suddenly you hear the voice of a commanding Person ``do your job,you are not here to empathize with the locals``.
So i can totally understand the message that the movie gives to the audience.
And Please dont forget war is money for Companys but its a big wound that will never heal for the Civilians.

reply

[deleted]

On the button!
Very clever script that gets across the inadequacy of humans with subtle humour and without preaching. Throughout the movie you never know what is going to happen next, hair trigger situations. The ending was inspired and beautifully bookends the movie. Bravo! One of the best films this year.

reply

Agreed. I found this film simply superb and well worth that sot of acclaim. Told so many stories, not simply about contractors. To me also what a fumbling mess we westerns bring with us even when we sincerely want to help. Personnel politics, humanity, red tape and perceptions.

Such a clever, subtle and absorbing script are all too rare. Enthralling from start to finish.

reply

I just finished watching it and cannot agree with you more. What would the OP want for a standing ovation, Rambo? 6/10? c'mon!
I visited Yugoslavia three times before the break-up --last one just after Tito died- and the film depicts them perfectly; you could feel the ethnic tensions everywhere. They are still there but hopefully the bleeding was so severe as to keep them from arms in a long time. I don't think I'll go back there, ever.
A sour-sweet film with masterful acting and direction, that keeps you glued to the screen. 8.5/10 for me.

reply

(gonna go astray from this board post) I am sorry to read that. Since I'm from Croatia, ex-Yu country. I was born during the war so I can't say much about that but from what I know from everyone quite older than me, my parents included, as you say, ethnic tensions were high and going crazy. As my mom says, you could see neighbors, friends, acquaintances starting changing their opinions of each other, foul mouth going wild, as true sheep led by propaganda and then commiting atrocities for, what, some political notions of who did wrong to whom and how much influence and what kind of ideas one has over sovereignity of the other? Nationalism at its worst, interests of some individuals and third parties included. Nowadays, after so long, the effort to mend, to fight politics, to fight life, to fight injustice, to fight yourself, it's all whirling. All these countries concern themselves by some sort of "contemporary": ruling party, faulty law, unemployment, living standard, future of a nation... Small mindedness is omnipresent, history comes in the big picture quite now and then, and that is for the older generations, who carry memories and notions from their time. And they make it worse for their legacy here. -___- They have bigger issues to solve than delve into the past as soon as they can to spark election vote in really good idiots who deem country as their religion, or simply desperate folks, plus the whole background crowd that is now in their business to give them votes in every election. It's business, man. All in all, war here has burnt us all too well, made us aware of our inner enemies, enemies in our own ranks and we've been waging some bigger wars ever since then. Sad to say, but that war might have been needed in that time. I am not quite sure about Bosnian and Serbian relations...
There are great people here (and people make the country). There's trash too, money milking trash. So to say you will never come back makes me wonder what you might be missing on...

I'm gonna watch this movie not to miss on a good story perhaps. Just came to IMDb and this board to check for reactions. :P

reply

Bureaucracy is Bureaucracy, anywhere.

Can you fly this plane?
Surely u cant be serious
I am serious,and dont call me Shirley

reply

Agreed, this was a good movie, but a standing ovation is just to much.

reply

Not that good. 5 out of 10

Can you fly this plane?
Surely u cant be serious
I am serious,and dont call me Shirley

reply

Really good & realistic, on top of all!

Worked there in about he period depicted as a local interpreter - just like Damir..

Now, with all the time passed.. Sad and full of black humour. The sort of humour that drags you out of despair and makes you go on even if you don't know how at first.. ;)

10/10

reply

I liked the movie but honestly, all the liberal phonies that hail things like this, with their fake tears and head shaking at such atrocities that they MOST DEFINITELY are not responsible for and wouldn't participate in (because this world will never infringe upon their Prius's, Starbucks, Iphones and self righteousness) as such worthy hallmarks of their world view, make me sick. Hypocrites. The message of the movie was very simple to me. This world is not paradise and never will be. There is evil in the world of ALL races, religions and regimes and it will never be eradicated. All the finger waggers need to come to grips with the fact that they are not on the outside, looking in. They are part of the disease, too. I say again, hypocrites.

reply