Marion Cotillard

If there is any movie this year at Cannes that is absolutely brimming with promise on paper, it's Guillaume Canet's "Blood Ties." With an extended cast featuring Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, Matthias Schoenaerts, Zoe Saldana, James Caan, Marion Cotillard, Noah Emmerich and Lili Taylor among others along with a script co-written by James Gray, one wonders how it could go wrong. And while "Blood Ties" isn't a disaster, it's certainly a mess, a sprawling crime saga that endeavours to evoke the great character driven movies of the 1970s, but never quite lives up to its epic scope. Playing out over two-and-a-half very long hours, there is enough plots, subplots and side-stories in the film to fill an entire season of a TV series. But here are the basics: Chris (Owen) is just out of the joint, trying to go straight and essentially do right by his cop brother Frank (Crudup), but he's got a messy past to deal with including making amends with Monica (Cotillard) a...

Sony Pictures Classics has landed U.S. rights at Cannes to The Past (Le Passe), Iranian helmer Asghar Farhadi’s ambitious drama starring Oscar nominee Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Ali Mosaffa and Tahar Rahim. The film is an early contender for the Palme d’Or, with reaction and reviews very strong after it screened Friday in competition. (Watch the trailer here.) The Memento Films production’s twisting plot involves secrets, lies, deceit, divorce, affairs, comas, pregnancy and other traumatic situations. Bejo stepped into the lead role after Oscar winner Marion Cotillard had to exit due to a scheduling conflict. Paris-based Memento Films International is handling worldwide sales. Michael Barker and Tom Bernard’s SPC also handled Farhadi’s A Separation, which grossed $19.9M worldwide and won the foreign-language film Oscar last year. Related: Cannes: Backup Media, Memento Bring Heat To Fest Helmer Jim Mickle’s ‘Cold In July’ Related: Cannes Analysis: Veterans And Newcomers Mix It Up In Official Selection