Wes Anderson returns to Cannes for the third time with Asteroid City in hope of Palme d'Or

Asteroid City, starring an ensemble cast of Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johannson and others, is gearing up for its Cannes Film Festival premiere today (May 23). With this comedy drama, director Wes Anderson will be competing at Cannes for the third time. His other films that premiered at Cannes under the Competition category were-- Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The French Dispatch (2021). Asteroid City is competing for the prestigious Palme d'Or this year against many popular titles including Monster, The Zone of Interest, Four Daughters and May/December. So will Anderson, known for his eclectic storytelling and off-beat humour, bag the prestigious Palme d'Or?  

Wes Anderson movies at Cannes: A brief history

Wes Anderson is known for directing films that are eccentric, have a unique narrative, a distinct visual style and ensemble cast. It mostly revolving around dysfunctional families, grief and overcoming it. His two movies, Moonrise Kingdom and The French Dispatch, were nominated in 2012 and 2021, respectively. 

The Moonrise Kingdom featured an ensemble cast of Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and others. It revolved around a 12-year-old orphaned boy who escaped from a scouting camp to unite with a girl he loves. Anderson's film opened Cannes 2012 film festival and received a 5-minute standing ovation that left Bill Murray (who co-starred in the film), quite emotional. However, the movie lost to Austrian director Michael Haneke's Amour that year. 

On the other hand, The French Dispatch follows three different storylines - The Concrete Masterpiece, Revisions to a Manifesto and The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner - revolving around the final issue of a literary magazine. The film premiered at Cannes 2021 and received a 9-minute standing ovation. However, the movie lost to director Julia Ducournau's Titane. 

 
Cannes 2023: Wes Anderson returns in the competition category

Talking about Wes Andreson's Asteroid City, it is competing against 18 films at Cannes this year. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer), May/December (Todd Haynes), Monster (Hirokazu Kore-eda), The Old Oak (Ken Loach), Perfect Days (Wim Wenders), About Dry Grasses (Nuri Bilge Ceylan), Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismaki), Il sol dell'avvenire (Nanni Moretti), Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania), Club Zero (Jessica Hausner), Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet), La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher), Shanghai Youth (Wang Bing), Banel et Adama (Ramata-Toulaye Sy), Firebrand (Karim Ainouz), Rapito (Marco Bellocchio), The Pot au Feu (Tran Anh Hung) and Last Summer (Catherine Breillat). Some have already premiered at Cannes this year, others will premiere in coming days.

Will Asteroid City win Palme d'Or? 

Ever since day one, the films premiering at Cannes have been receiving good responses, including standing ovations and positive reviews from the audience. The Zone of Interest directed by Jonathan Glazer, and Monster directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda received a 6-minute standing ovation. On the other hand, May/December helmed by Todd Haynes, and Fireband helmed by Karim Ainouz earned an 8-minute standing ovation. With the competition category wide open, it will be interesting to witness whether third time will be the charm for Wes Anderson or not.