A new film by Claire Denis is always a cause for excitement. And fans of the French director are in for a treat in 2022, with two new films from Denis premiering this year. “Both Sides Of The Blade” already had its world premiere at Berlinale, where Denis won a Silver Bear for best director, but “The Stars At Noon” has people on notice. The film is Denis’ first in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival since her 1988 debut, “Chocolat.”
READ MORE: ‘Stars At Noon’: Benny Safdie, John C. Reilly Also Star In Claire Denis’ Cannes Drama
So, the obvious question is: will Denis win her first Palme d’Or with “The Stars At Noon”? Even if she doesn’t, the chance to work with the French filmmaking legend is an award in its own right. Joe Alwyn, one of the leads of the new film alongside Margaret Qualley, described his experience on the film as such in a recent interview with Deadline. Alwyn, who replaced Robert Pattinson on the film late into pre-production, showed just how coveted the chance to work with Denis is in a single statement: “obviously I was never going to say no to working with Claire Denis.”
Alwyn described his experience working with the filmmaker as “amazing,” explaining, “She’s unlike anyone I have ever worked with, and her sets are unlike any other set I’ve ever been on. She is a force. She is completely singular and of herself and a real orator.” Denis’ singularity as a filmmaker comes from both her unconventional visual style and the intense, emotive feeling of her films. “She can be both fierce in knowing what she wants and then incredibly tender about what she wants,” Alwyn explained. “It feels like she discovers everything in the moment and in such a way that… I don’t know. I think I’m probably still working out how she works. I don’t think I’ll ever work out how she works. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to answer either. It was definitely the most unique experience I’ve had with a director on set.”
One of the highlights for Alwyn on the ‘Stars’ shoot in Panama last year? When Denis directed a scene from the trunk of a car: “[Denis] would be in the trunk of the car. We’d be driving around town with her. She’d be locked in the trunk, screaming out instructions in French to us who were sitting in the car—crowded with like five other people filming us—and she’s just bellowing out what she wants.” That sounds like a prime filmmaking tactic from Denis for those familiar with her other work, like 1999’s “Beau Travail” and 2004’s “L’Intrus.” Alwyn continued, “she’s just a force like nothing else. I’m really lucky to have gone on that mad ride with her.”
“The Stars At Noon,” based on the 1986 Denis Johnson novel of the same name, stars Alwyn as a mysterious English businessman in Nicaragua who strikes up a romance with Qualley’s American journalist as they both flee to the country’s border during a revolution. So, part love story, part political thriller.
Will “The Stars At Noon” win Claire Denis the top prize at Cannes? Denis is already such a legend she transcends the need to win awards, but tune into The Playlist’s coverage of the festival through the weekend to find out. In the meantime, check out Joe Alwyn in Hulu‘s latest Sally Rooney adaptation, “Conversations With Friends,” premiering on the streaming channel now. “Both Sides Of The Blade,” previously known as “Fire,” hits US theaters on July 8 from IFC Films. No word yet on a theatrical release for “The Stars At Noon.”