French cinema threads through nearly every film directed by Michel Hazanavicius, a filmmaker who often honors other works by echoing them rather than rewriting their essence. His signature touch is the homage, the deliberate choice to imitate a mood, a cadence, a look that feels familiar yet reimagined. The OSS 117 mini-saga first brought him into the spotlight, reshaping the early James Bond template with a playful confidence. The Artist, released in 2011, channels the silent era with a modern sensibility, recreating the rhythm and visual language that propelled Hazanavicius to fame. Even the idea of a biopic inspired by Jean-Luc Godard, as seen in Bad Genius (2017), borrows aesthetic cues from the Swiss filmmaker, though it does not fully plumb the man behind the art. This recurring approach to drawing from past inspirations helps explain both the strengths and the limitations of Hazanavicius’s newer fiction.
At the helm of the opening night of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, To cut! offers a brisk and economical entry. The remake of One cut of the Dead (2017) is a low-budget Japanese zombie comedy that carved out a loyal following during its Sitges festival run and has since become a cult favorite. Describing this tiny gem requires surrendering to its charms—spoilers ahead—and the first chapter playfully has a procession of the living dead attack, only to reveal in the next moments that the threat is a living force behind the camera. It stands as a gentle, endearing satire about the collective effort demanded by filmmaking, especially when speed and improvisation overshadow preparation.
Surprise guest from Zelensky
If Volodymyr Zelensky appeared unexpectedly at the Oscars, why not make a cameo at the Cannes opening as well? Standing before the vast screen of the Grand Théâtre Lumière, the Ukrainian president urged cinema to speak up in the face of an unparalleled conflict, calling for a renewal of cinema’s voice and presence. His message underscored the idea that film can be a beacon in times of crisis, a call for artists to reflect, resist, and remind audiences of resilience. He also pressed for a new generation of filmmakers who can carry the torch of cinematic expression forward, undeterred by fear or silence. It is a moment that fused political gravity with a festival’s obligation to celebrate art in all its forms.
To cut! not only echoes the narrative arc and spirit of its source material, it mirrors the filmmaker’s own expressive vocabulary and fondness for cinema as a living tradition. The film plays with the idea of authorship, sometimes leaning into its own retro charm and, at times, nudging the audience with a wink. The result is a piece that aims to amuse while subtly examining what makes a film feel alive. If one compares it to the single remake of Psycho, directed by Gus Van Sant in 1998, the intent diverges: that latter project sought to critique the evolution of creative control within cinema, whereas To cut! tends toward lighthearted entertainment with a touch of self-awareness. Even though its running time exceeds the original by about a quarter, the extra minutes fail to restore a smoother rhythm; instead, they accentuate the way addition can alter pacing and tension.
mood of fraud
There is a discernible distinction here. A cross section of the dead was produced on a shoestring in a mere six days, and its power as metatextual commentary lies precisely in those constraints. It acts as a candid self-portrait of guerrilla filmmaking, a raw glimpse into the bones of how cinema can be made with scarce resources. To cut! followed suit, filmed in six weeks with a slate of French cinema stars and a veneer of craftiness. Most viewers will likely see the new film without having watched the predecessor, and yet the standalone impact remains unassailable. Still, questions arise. Why would Hazanavicius choose to craft a movie that foregrounds wit and intelligence that does not belong to him in a direct sense? The answers that come to mind are not flattering, and that tension fuels debate about authorship, influence, and the role of homage in contemporary filmmaking.