Kelly Reichardt’s latest film “The Mastermind,” starring Josh O’Connor as an art thief on the run, earned a 5.5-minute ovation at its Cannes premiere on Friday night.
The applause brought Reichardt to tears, and she poignantly told the crowd, “America’s in a ditch right now, but maybe we’ll get out of it. But in the meantime we have the movies.”
According to its official synopsis, “The Mastermind” takes place “in a sedate corner of Massachusetts circa 1970” as “an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief plans his first big heist. When things go haywire, his life unravels.” Alongside O’Connor, the film also stars Alana Haim, John Magaro, Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffmann, Eli Gelb, Cole Doman, Javion Allen, Matthew Maher, Rhenzy Feliz and Ryan Homchick. In addition to directing, Reichardt also penned the script.
“First Cow” director Reichardt made her Cannes debut in 2008 with her third film “Wendy and Lucy,” starring Michelle Williams, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section. In 2022, her most recent film “Showing Up,” also starring Williams, competed for the Palme d’Or.
“The Mastermind” is O’Connor’s second film in Cannes competition this year, but his first time attending the festival. He’s also starring in Oliver Hermanus’ gay romance “The History of Sound” alongside Paul Mescal. The duo play two men who travel to New England together in the summer of 1919 to record the folk songs of their rural countrymen. It’s also Haim’s debut at the festival, and only her second feature film after the musician broke into acting in 2021 with Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza.” She’s also starring in Anderson’s next movie, “One Battle After Another,” as well as Kristoffer Borgli’s “The Drama” alongside Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.
Cannes Film Festival runs May 13 to 24.
