If the Cannes festival made headlines, among other things, for giving up screening the new works by veterans Roman Polanski and Woody Allen, accused of sexual abuse accusations, the contest directed by Alberto Barbera has given them a unique opportunity to participate outside contest that promised controversy. Nothing is further from reality.
While The Palace, the satire on the rich by the director of Polish origin - it should be remembered that he cannot set foot in Italy because he would be arrested and extradited for the case of rape of a minor in 1977 - has been destroyed by critics, the 50th film by the New Yorker has won the applause of the audience at the Lido.
Stroke of Luck, which opens in Spanish theaters on September 29, has been shot in Paris and with French actors. The plot revolves around the apparently ideal and happy bourgeois couple formed by Fanny and Jean (Lou de Laâge and Melvil Popupaud) and who is threatened by the unexpected appearance of Alain (Niels Schneider), an old schoolmate of Fanny's who was in love with her and with whom he runs into in the middle of the street. She works at an auction house. He is a writer and is divorced. Alain's bohemian and creative spirit contrasts with the superficiality of Fanny's husband, a controlling type who soon becomes suspicious of his wife.
The tape talks precisely about coincidences and that lucky factor that can change our existence, something that Allen has referred to in the first person. "I have been very lucky all my life. I have had two loving parents, friends, a wonderful life, a marriage and children. At 87 years old I have never been to a hospital or had anything terrible happen to me."
And he added: "When I started making films, everyone highlighted what I did well and not what was bad, they have been very generous with me, I have had nothing but good luck and I hope it continues like this, because it is still early", Allen has admitted to the press that he has compared his new film with Match Point, filmed in London in 2005. "Both talk about the capriciousness of chance and the impact it can have on our lives, much more than we usually admit" .
The author of Manhattan is still haunted by the controversy over the accusations of sexual abuse by his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, events that supposedly occurred in 1992 and for which he was exonerated in his day. However, the shock wave of the Metoo and an HBO documentary focused on the young woman's version fueled a heated debate that has forced Allen to seek financing for his films outside the United States. Of course, he hopes to be able to shoot again in his beloved hometown: "I have a very good idea for New York, if someone comes out of the shadows and offers to finance me without asking too many questions, if some unsuspecting person puts the money on the table for me , I would do it," he said ironically.
From his experience in Gallic lands, where he has already filmed Midnight in Paris and some scenes from Everybody says I love you, the filmmaker speaks wonders. "Since I was young I have always liked European films. All my life I have wanted to make films like Europeans."
And he has stated that he prefers to write female characters than male ones. "Somehow it's more interesting for me to write for women. I don't know why. I suppose it's due to the influence of directors I admire like Ingmar Bergman or Tennessee Williams. I've never known how to write for men except for myself," he concluded, not without first asking emphasize that he is still writing lying on his bed with a pen in his hand.
