Cannes Film Festival: the Queer Palm goes to Romanian Emmanuel Parvu

– The Queer Palm at “Three kilometers to the end of the world”

The Romanian Emmanuel Parvu tells the story of a 17-year-old teenager, who goes through hell in his small native village when his homosexuality is revealed.

Edmée Cuttat

Posted today at 2:06 p.m.

The members of the Queer jury awarded the prize to “Three kilometers to the end of the world” by Romanian Emmanuel Parvu.

AFP

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Rewarding since 2010 a film dealing with LGBTQI+ themes. Feminist or questioning gender norms, the jury chaired by Belgian Lukas Dhont awarded the Queer Palm to “Three kilometers to the end of the world” by Romanian Emmanuel Parvu.

Unlike last year, the organizers had no difficulty in selecting the contenders. 23 feature-length and short films from all sections of the festival lined up for the award, including “Bird” by Andrea Arnol, “Emilia Perez” by Jacques Audiard, “Marcello Moi” by Christophe Honoré, “Live reborn die” by Gaël Morel, “La belle de Gaza” by Yolande Zauberman, “Miséricorde” by Alain Giraudie, or even “Les Femmes au balcon” by Noémie Merlant.

The choice of the Romanian film, still in the running for the Palme d’Or, is particularly judicious. It’s hard to believe that we are in 2024 when we discover this feature film. However, the plot takes place today, in a small village. Adrian, 17, returned to spend the summer with his family and goes out to a club with a friend, where he meets a boy, before returning home where his father discovers him, his face and body badly damaged.

He then accompanies his son for a statement at the police station. And what Adrian feared happens. His homosexuality is revealed and he will experience hell within a terribly retrograde family and society, where everyone gangs up to cover up the affair. A priest goes as far as exorcism at the parents’ request to avoid scandal and shame. Emmanuel Parvu seduces with his simple, sober, effective staging in this work carried by excellent actors.