'The Idol' scandalises Cannes with kink and toxic fame

Cannes festival-goers got a peek at the first episodes of raunchy new HBO series "The Idol", with critics saying Tuesday that it is likely to cause plenty of controversy.

The festival has seen a steady stream of A-list Hollywood megastars since opening a week ago, and that was set to continue later on Tuesday with Scarlett Johansson and Tom Hanks arriving for "Asteroid City". 

It is the latest concoction from the king of colourful deadpan quirkiness, Wes Anderson, whose tale of a remote Western town being visited by an alien has a celeb-packed cast that also includes Steve Carell and Edward Norton. 

But the festival was still digesting its late night screening of the first two episodes of "The Idol", HBO's new series starring Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp. 

A pop star struggling to get back on track after a public breakdown, surrounded by heartless handlers, she meets the manipulative leader of a modern-day cult, played by musician Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye.

A leaked revenge porn shot of Depp with semen on her face is seen as a pathway to more fame, with a mention of reality star Kim Kardashian, and there is a significant nod to Britney Spears and the toxic fame that engulfed 90s female pop stars.

"When you're famous, everyone lies to you," Depp says, between two kinky masturbation scenes and dozens of shots of her breasts.

Feeling a loss of control over her art, Tesfaye's character starts to lure her in, despite her best friend and assistant warning her he is "so rapey."

"I kinda like that about him," says Depp's character.

- 'In a blender' -

The series received a modest five-minute ovation, and early reviewers focused on the kink, which included some graphic dirty talk.

An Indiewire columnist wrote on Twitter it was like putting "'Black Swan', 'Succession', and 'Secretary' in a blender' ... Prepare yourself for quite the discourse."

The series had already been plagued by rumours of onset turmoil and graphic sex scenes.

Variety reported that the show needed major re-writes and re-shoots and switched director midway through, bringing in "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson.

However, it does bring yet another complex female character to Cannes, which has served up plenty of films exploring the dark side of women, and making their stories the focus.

- Race for the Palme -

The world's leading industry extravaganza has entered its second week, and the competition for the main prize, the Palme D'Or is heating up.

On Sunday, Jude Law awed and disgusted cinemagoers with his portrayal of King Henry VIII -- with a stomach-turning leg infection and penchant for offing his wives -- in "Firebrand", which premiered on Sunday.

The movie focuses on Catherine Parr, the only of Henry's wives to outlive him, played by Alicia Vikander.

There are still movies to come from past winners, Britain's Ken Loach and Germany's Wim Wenders, among others. 

An early front-runner from the first week is British director Jonathan Glazer's "The Zone of Interest", a unique and horrifying look at the private life of a Nazi officer working at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

There was also a lot of love for Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore's "May December," which looks at the relationship between an older woman and a schoolboy, still married years after their relationship became a tabloid scandal.

The festival has also seen major out-of-competition world premieres for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" and Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" which received rave reviews over the weekend.

And Lily-Rose's father Johnny Depp made a splash at the festival, with the controversial actor appearing as French King Louis XV in opening film "Jeanne du Barry". 

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© Agence France-Presse

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