I had high expectations today as I planned to see three films in Official Competition. The day started nice and early with the screening of Pedro Almodovar’s latest La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In). I excitedly walked into the Grand Theatre Lumiere for the first time… and it was amazing. Absolutely huge. I sat up high in the balcony and it ended up filling out just about completely. At 8:30am. That’s dedication. The film itself was genius – his creativity is such a joy to watch, and I think everyone in there appreciated the work. Almodovar arguably gets the best out of Antonio Banderas, whose performance was virtually flawless.

Straight afterwards, I rushed to the next-day screening of Lars von Trier’s Melancholia. There was a line but I noticed another press member getting through. I skipped at least 100 people… didn’t I feel special? Even better,  the cast and Almodovar himself brushed past me while I waited — I saw Antonio Banderas! Anyway, von Trier’s film is something else… what a strange, strange man. I went into seeing it after his now infamous press conference (where he referenced a liking to Hitler – 35:00) but came out of it feeling no less confused than at the start. As it often is with festival films, I suppose that’s the point. I’d heard mixed things and I’m still struggling to process my thoughts on it.

Antonio Banderas: My closest Hollywood brush with fame (so far).

Incredibly, I almost forgot to eat lunch before heading straight into the third batch of Cinefondation screenings — that’s not normal for me. But watching films continuously on little sleep is difficult regardless of your love for it. Food re-energised me enough to watch four films from Brazil, Belgium, Germany and Israel. All were from film-school students, and all were impressive overall. I think I liked the Belgian entry Lunchbox Story — about a woman who excessively emulates the Japanese lifestyle — better than Melancholia to be perfectly honest…

There’s no rest for the wicked — I achieved some writing (yes, I do have to fit the work part in somewhere) before getting into the first screening of Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive with Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. There was a genuine buzz for this film according to the journalists I talked to — and I don’t think anyone was disappointed. Grisly but hopeful, it was entertaining and well directed. My plan is to get into the press conference tomorrow and see what they have to say first-hand.

All of this and I left the earliest I have so far – a fair achievement, I think.

—

For more of Katina’s coverage of the 2011 Cannes film festival, click here.

Follow the author Katina Vangopoulos on Twitter.