Rivilis Debuts Cannes Film 'I’ll Be Gone in June'
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- Katharina Rivilis makes her feature debut with “I’ll Be Gone in June,” selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard program.
- The film follows 16‑year‑old Franny (Naomi Cosma) as a German exchange student in New Mexico during summer 2021, depicting her experience of 9/11, school patriotism, and cultural clash with a parochial host family.
- Wim Wenders serves as a producer, and his influence is noted in the film’s semi‑stylized dreaminess, echoing his earlier work “Paris, Texas.”
- The narrative juxtaposes Franny’s first love and a fraught romance with musician Elliott (David Flores) against broader political commentary, though the romance is described as less compelling than the film’s political lens.
- Cinematography by Giulia Schelhas blends grainy camcorder footage with lush digital lensing, creating saturated desert vistas and lilac‑hued scenes that underscore Franny’s emotional turbulence.
- Critical reception highlights the film as a distribution‑ready standout, noting its intelligent, evocative storytelling and its comparison to German classics “Bagdad Café” and “Paris, Texas.”
Why it matters: The film’s Cannes debut gives Katharina Rivilis a high‑profile platform and signals distributors that a German‑American coming‑of‑age story can attract critical attention, while audiences gain a rare European lens on post‑9/11 American society, and the festival’s lineup benefits from a fresh, politically nuanced voice.
