In Competition is obviously the most prestigious place to play during the Cannes Film Festival, but the riches of the fest is such that the sidebar sections often have terrific discoveries too. Two new first looks have arrived from two films playing outside competition. The first is Lisandro Alonso’s “Jauja” starring Viggo Mortensen. It’s playing in the Un Certain Regard section alongside films like Ryan Gosling’s debut “Lost River” and Ned Benson’s “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.”
Starring Mortensen and Danish actress Ghita Nørby, “Jauja” centers on a Danish father (Mortensen) who, along with his daughter, settles in the desolate Jauja region in Patagonia Argentina. Essentially a desert that exists in a realm beyond the confines of civilization, it’s an inhospitable place. A bunch of new photos of the spare-looking film are below.
Up next, we have a first look of “The Salvation” starring another Danish actor, Mads Mikkelsen. Set in In 1870s America, “Salvation” chronicles a peaceful American settler who kills his family’s murderer unleashing the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone. “Salvation” is directed by Danish filmmaker Kristian Levring known for foreign dramas "Fear Me Not" and "The Intended."
"The Salvation" also co-stars Eva Green, Alexander Arnold and Eric Cantona and plays in the Midnight Screening section alongside David Michod’s “The Rover” so perhaps that’s going to be a dusty, dark and bloody tale of frontier vengeance. You’ll hear about them soon enough hopefully, as we’ll have writers on the Croisette as we do every year. “Jajua” poster via Indiewire.