There’s nothing like a bit of controversy to kick off this year’s Cannes Film Festival. And this year, it comes from the mouth of Viggo Mortensen, star of David Cronenberg‘s “Crimes Of The Future,” which has its world premiere in competition next week for the Palme d’Or.
Mortensen had some choice words about last year’s Palme d’Or winner, Julia Ducournau‘s “Titane,” stating that it paled in comparison to Cronenberg’s own sex-and-automobiles shocker, “Crash.” “Crash,” adapted from J.G. Ballard‘s 1973 novel of the same name, won the Special Jury Prize at the festival in 1996 when the Cannes jury remained split on the film for the top award.
Mortensen told The Hollywood Reporter, “In my opinion, no offense to the director ‘Titane’ [Docournau], but ‘Crash’ was head and shoulders above that movie, because it wasn’t just about superficial shock value and unconventional imagery.” In a word, ouch. Mortensen continues, “There’s a story beneath it, there was true character exploration in ‘Crash,’ much more than ‘Titane,’ I think.”
There are definite similarities between “Crash” and “Titane.” “Crash” stars James Spader as a TV director who discovers an erotic sub-culture of car crash victims who get aroused by auto accidents after he narrowly escapes a serious accident. In “Titane,” lead Agathe Rousselle has sex with a car and gets pregnant with its human-automobile hybrid child. Obviously, Mortensen doesn’t think Ducournau’s film has the same depth as Cronenberg’s.
Cronenberg doesn’t appear to share his leading man’s opinion on “Titane.” On Twitter, a user linked to a previous interview with Cronenberg on French social media (see below), where the director praises the Palme winner. “I think Julia has said she’s been influenced by my films, and that’s very flattering to me. But obviously, she’s doing other things,” Cronenberg says in the clip. “And certainly, though ‘Crash’ won a prize at Cannes, id did not win the Palme; so, she’s got one higher.”
Cronenberg’s latest stars Mortensen as a performance artist who grows new organs in his body for the sake of his art. So, yes, the new flesh is alive and well, even if Mortensen doesn’t think Ducournau’s iteration of it matches Cronenberg’s. Will “Crimes Of The Future” win a Palme d’Or of its own at this year’s Cannes? Unfortunately, we have to wait until next weekend to find out.