Nicolas Winding Refn addresses Only God Forgives getting booed at Cannes

May 24th 2013, 6:38pm

Many of us would have killed to check out the films that have been shown at Cannes this year. One I know that several cinephiles are curious about is Nicolas Winding Refn’s GOD ONLY FORGIVES. When it screened this morning, the critics were not too pleased, booing through the course of the flick. There are certain scenes in particular that seemed to horrify, but I’ll leave that out so I’m not ruining anything for those who were not in attendance.

Vulture spoke with the director and brought what had happened to his attention:

Vulture: I’m not sure if you’re aware, but at the press screening this morning, there was a smattering of boos and some walkouts.

Nicolas Winding Refn: Oh, cool.

Vulture: You’re excited about that?

NWR: I mean, how can I expect someone to not react like this when on one hand you are dropping what you do in everyone’s face and at the same time saying, “Love me, please,” you know? You’re going to get that. You know, great art — horrible thing to say — but art is meant to divide, because if it doesn’t divide, it doesn’t penetrate, and if it doesn’t penetrate, you just consume it.

Vulture: Any idea what they were booing about? Either it’s the violence or they thought it was too stylistic. I don’t know what it was.

NWR: People have so many strange opinions, and also, a lot of a people begin to own you and they want you to do things in a specific way.

Vulture: What the reviews seemed to say was it was too much style over substance.

NWR: Wasn’t that the same critique they gave Drive? And I think it’s a strange critique. I mean substance, God, there’s so much going on. What else would they want?

Vulture: The Brooklyn Academy of Music has a film series called “Booed at Cannes,” and Taxi Driver is in that.

NWR: Well, I think we are in pretty good company then.

So I think it’s fair to say after reading this and some other in-depth reviews of the film, that those who enjoyed DRIVE will most likely favor this as well. Except for the fact that Vulture mentions in a previous article that this installment did not have a “sweetness to leaven things”. However, from the ashes rose Kristin Scott Thomas, whose performance as the main character’s Mother garnered several positive reviews. But that was it.

Now I’m really curious.