An endless search for love at Cannes

In our first review we spoke about two films at Cannes this year ("Sea Sorrow" and "Jupiter's Moon") focusing on one of the main themes of this year's festival: The migration crisis. This is only part of the overall crisis in today's Europe, which includes the degeneration of the political and economic system as well as of human values. Filmmakers at Cannes largely concentrate on these issues; some in a realistic manner and some searching for metaphorical and allegorical styles. 

"Happy End" of director Michael Haneke, already a winner of two Golden Palms, is among the best titles of this year's competition. Haneke depicts the corruption and disintegration of bourgeois society, with this masterfully crafted movie taking in themes of class relations, the migration crisis, loss of human contact, and high technology with humor. The acting of Jean-Louis Trintignant, Isabelle Huppert, Mathieu Kassovitz among others is wonderful and the camera work is impressive.

Similar themes are addressed in "Loveless," one of my favorites this year. Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev draws a realistic portrait of a middle-class family in crisis. The film examines abusive behavior between the members of the family, as well as pathologies of a socio-political system, in a realistic style. 

Swedish director Ruben Oslund's "The Square" is another accomplished critique of contemporary society, with an imaginative and humoristic/satirical touch. He examines the nature of relationships in society, as well as the contemporary art world and PR industry. Immigrants also appear in this film, forcing us to question our sincerity in moral issues and our responsibilities.  

Another film focusing on human relations is "The Killing of a Sacred Deer." An Irish...