My First Ever Cannes Film Festival Review

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MOVIE REVIEW
Under the Fig Trees
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Genre: Drama
Year Released: 2021 (Venice Film Festival,) 2022 (Cannes Directors’ Fortnight,) 2023 VOD/Digital
Runtime: 1h 32m
Director(s): Erige Sehiri
Writer(s): Peggy Hamann, Ghalya Lacroix, Erige Sehiri
Cast: Fedi Ben Achour, Firas Amri, Ameni Fdhili, Feten Fdhili, Fide Fdhili
Where To Watch: premieres via VOD and Digital on January 26, 2024

I’ve never been lucky enough to attend any of the world’s major film festivals. However, this year while I still won’t be in attendance, I have been lucky enough to be able to review three select films from the Festival de Cannes 2022 (Cannes Film Festival.) This is the first film and I’ll also be covering THE WORST ONES (LES PIRES) from France and METRONOM from Romania. I truly consider it an honor to be able to review films up for one of the most coveted awards in filmmaking.

The first film I get to review is UNDER THE FIG TREES and what a way to start! A beautiful film by director Erige Sehiri who initially sought to make a film about young people running a radio station (which personally I still think would be an interesting topic, that subject reminds me how powerful DEAR WHITE PEOPLE was to me when I saw it.) While Sehiri has six documentaries to her name, this was her first feature-length drama, and wow did it impress!

The striking visuals in the film should be more than enough to draw in any audience, this is only amplified by the director having to use a “radical solution” which involved shooting outside, using only natural light, and one camera. It’s always made me appreciate how truly gifted artists will alter their plans and create their vision with what they have been given. In the end, it worked out, as I think the cinematography of the film added so much to the story.

I was a big fan of the fact that these weren’t professional actors, I think that it added the almost documentary style to the film as there were a lot of authenticities seen on screen. In an interview, Sehiri pointed out that she used locals because of their unique accents and their ability to show what it was really like to be working in these environments.

The story seemed so natural and felt as though we were watching these stories unfold in the film in front of us. That is magnified by the fact that the cast weren’t given scripts of the written dialogue. Instead, they were told the story of their characters and their relationships within the group. So we gained a level of realism because the film was primarily improvised which can be seen, not by a lack of acting but by how true to life the film felt.

Having the chance to screen a film from Cannes made me feel like I’ve reached a milestone in reviewing films. Sure, I’m not in Cannes, France but I have been given a unique opportunity that puts me one step closer to the dreams that I had which have only amplified my love for cinema.

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[photo courtesy of FILM MOVEMENT]

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