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 Heady and highly theatrical,
"Annette", directed by French director Leos
Carax, proved a fitting big screen pick for the
cinema showcase after its 2020 edition was
cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tale, set to a soundtrack by U.S. rock duo
Sparks, partly dwells on the world of performers
and the corrosive effects of fame.
At times almost absurd, and deeply poignant at
others, the film occasionally pushed its stars
to their singing limits, Driver said.
The actor - who plays a sardonic stand-up
comedian who falls for Ann, a shy opera singer,
before their love turns sour - had a fleeting
singing scene in 2019's "Marriage Story", but
belts his way through his character's highs and
lows in "Annette".
"It's so cinematic and sometimes those images
require rehearsal or, you know, singing on a
motorcycle, (at) 60 miles an hour," Driver told
Reuters ahead of the premiere.
Cotillard, who won an Oscar in 2008 for the
Edith Piaf biopic "La Vie en Rose", needed
back-up for her vocals on some arias.
The stars reaped broad praise for their
performance in early reviews on Tuesday, with
Indiewire critics singling out Driver as a
"deranged force of nature".
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 The film - originally imagined
as an album by Sparks, the pop and rock duo made
up of brothers Ron and Russell Mael - also
impressed reviewers, although some pointed to
patchy or puzzling moments. The
story takes a darker turn when Driver's comedian
and Cotillard's soprano have a child, Annette,
and their relationship begins to disintegrate as
his star fades and she goes on to ever greater
success.
"One of the themes that really resonated in
myself was how you are impacted by the need of
recognition," Cotillard said in an interview.
The film's pathway to Cannes was almost as
quirky as the fantasy pop-opera, according to
Ron Mael, one of the songwriters. The brothers
met Carax, fresh from presenting his "Holy
Motors", at the festival in 2012.
"It's the only other time we've been here and
(we) just chatted with him," Mael said. "And
here we are eight years later with the opening
night film of the Cannes festival. It's
surreal."
(Reporting by Hanna Rantala and Sarah White;
Editing by Karishma Singh)
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