Lea Mysius: Last News

In “The Five Devils,” her beguiling and exquisitely crafted latest, French director Léa Mysius furthers the ideas of adolescent self-discovery and extraordinary perception that drove her riveting début film, “Ava,” even as she introduces new elements of supernatural intrigue and intergenerational trauma to her cinema.  Whereas “Ava” set a coming-of-age story across one ephemeral summer, as experienced by a teenager soon expected to go blind, “The Five Devils” (now in theaters, streaming on Mubi May 12) finds Mysius and co-writer Paul Guilhaume, also the film’s director of photography, casting their gaze back through time to tell a story about the painful family secrets guarded by a young mother (Adèle Exarchopoulos, “Blue is the Warmest Color”) and the magical ability that empowers her child (Sally Dramé) to uncover them.  Continue reading ‘The Five Devils’: Léa Mysius On The Material Magic Of 35mm Film & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

Marta Balaga French filmmaker Léa Mysius follows her nose in “The Five Devils,” focusing on the sense of smell. That’s her protagonist’s special gift, one that scares her mother (“Blue Is the Warmest Color” actor Adèle Exarchopoulos) but allows her to venture beyond the constraints of time and space.Shown in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight – with Wild Bunch on board – it’s Mysius’ second feature film as a director following “Ava,” awarded at the French fest in 2017. She also co-wrote Claire Denis’ “The Stars at Noon,” presented in the main competition.“It all started when I was a kid – I was fascinated by smells,” Mysius tells Variety.“Together with my sister, we had fun making these little potions.

Given the combustible subject matter and the director’s reputation, French auteur Claire Denis has made a remarkably listless and unpersuasive film in Stars at Noon. Set during the Nicaraguan Sandanista revolution circa 1984, this adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novel published two years later centers on a couple of Americans of dubious character who misspend time in Central America before finally deciding it’s time to split when, in fact, it might be too late. This is the sort of misfire that, just because it comes from a hallowed French auteur, sometimes gets programmed in the Cannes competition even when it manifestly doesn’t deserve to be there.

Director Léa Mysius expertly crafts a queer, witchy movie in her Directors’ Fortnite debut film, The Five Devils, which received a five-minute standing ovation at the screening I attended. Mysius takes concepts like identity, sexuality, and mysticism and creates an intricate genre film that’s part time travel, part drama, and all heart. 

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentDirectors’ Fortnight, the sidebar running alongside the Cannes Film Festival, has unveiled a strong lineup for its 54th edition, which will be the last one for outgoing artistic director Paolo Moretti. The sidebar has landed a pair of movies from A24, Alex Garland’s Men” which will play in the Special Screening section, and “God’s Creatures,” a psychological thriller directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, the filmmaking duo who made their feature debut with the Sundance film “The Fits.” Set in an Irish fishing village, “God’s Creatures” stars Aisling Franciosi, Emily Watson and Paul Mescal.

EXCLUSIVE: Danny Ramirez is joining Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn in Claire Denis’ next film at A24, The Stars at Noon. A24 had no comment.