Bellocchio's 'Fai bei sogni' Opens Directors' Fortnight at Cannes to Critical Acclaim

Marco Bellocchio's film 'Fai bei sogni' opened the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors' Fortnight) at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, a section considered more authorial than the main competition. The screening received a standing ovation from press and critics. French media lavished praise: Le Figaro called the film 'poignant and hypnotic,' Télérama commended Bellocchio's skill in portraying women, and France Culture's Antoine Guillot described him as an 'immense filmmaker.' The film is loosely based on the autobiographical bestseller by La Stampa journalist Massimo Gramellini, though Bellocchio's adaptation diverges significantly. It delicately explores childhood trauma and its processing in adulthood, touching on themes of death, frustration, and religion—recurring motifs in Bellocchio's oeuvre. Bellocchio reportedly declined to compete in the main competition after what he perceived as poor treatment at a previous Cannes.