MEKTOUB MY LOVE: CANTO UNO

This is the premise, but the film defies traditional plot summary. Human encounters lie at its core, captured through an intensely sensuous, lingering, and vividly alive cinematic language that gives even the smallest gesture or glance emotional weight.

French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche is best known for Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013), which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. His ambitious and controversial Mektoub project has divided audiences. The first part, Canto Uno (2017), premiered in Venice and became a major talking point among critics and cinephiles. The interlude film Intermezzo (2019) was both a sensation and a scandal at its Cannes premiere. The director’s portrayal of sex in general, and one scene of unsimulated sex in particular, sparked debate – and a lack of funding meant that the film never received international distribution. Now Canto Due is here, and since its premiere in Locarno it has received much praise.

Kosmorama is screening Canto Uno and Canto Due, which stand well on their own without the interlude film, and after the two screenings there will be a discussion about the films and Kechiche.