James Gray’s Paper Tiger has been widely praised at Cannes, with much of the attention focused on lead actor Miles Teller.
The film follows Irwin Pearl, a 1980s New York family man whose life is upended after his brother draws them into a corrupt scheme involving the Gowanus Canal, leading to threats from the Russian mafia.
Gray said the film explores moral decay and transactional society, using pollution as a metaphor for ethical collapse.
He described Teller’s character as intentionally avoiding sentimentality while maintaining emotional depth.
Teller said he drew on personal experiences of loss and family life to shape his performance.
The director and actor also discussed their collaboration, with Gray recalling how Teller came onto his radar through filmmaker Damien Chazelle and earlier performances.
Teller, meanwhile, said he joined the project during a chaotic period in his personal life, finding meaning in the story’s themes of family, vulnerability, and resilience.
Hope brings monster sci-fi thrills to Cannes
Na Hong-jin’s Hope premiered at Cannes as an ambitious sci-fi action spectacle competing for the Palme d’Or, marking the director’s return after a 10-year gap since The Wailing.
He admitted feeling extremely nervous ahead of the screening due to the film’s scale and production challenges.
The story begins with a mysterious dead bull in a rural Korean village and escalates into a violent, globe-spanning investigation involving police officers played by Hwang Jung-min, Jung Ho-yeon, and Zo In-sung.
The narrative expands further with extraterrestrials portrayed by Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.
Critics described the film as chaotic yet visually impressive, blending monster horror and sci-fi.
Na said the film explores xenophobia, misunderstanding, and how differing perspectives create conflict, with a sequel already written. (AP)
