The small screen takes the spotlight at the Cannes Film Festival: the new HBO series, starring Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp, was launched to great fanfare on the Croisette, where the first two episodes were shown on Monday night.
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The general public will have to wait until early June to hear the story of Jocelyn, aka “Joss” (Lily-Rose Depp), a pop star trying to regain her limelight following a crisis following the death of her mother. Then she meets Tedros (Abel Tesfaye), who will thwart her return to the heights.
Heralded as sulphurous for both its content and its tumultuous genesis, The Idol, which has a total of six episodes, is quick to proclaim color: nude scenes, intimate photo of “Joss” going viral, explicit masturbation…
However, it would be an exaggeration to reduce this series to these passages. She also knows how to take a wry look at her time, poking fun at an “intimacy coordinator” who’s trying to balance the demands of the singer’s image contract and her desire to do as she pleases with her body , or the formatting of the present denounces musical production.
References to various stars such as Britney Spears or Kim Kardashian are also obvious.
“When you’re famous, everyone lies to you”: Jocelyn, who has doubts about the song set to spur her comeback, quickly finds herself caught in the web of influence that Tedros is weaving around her, despite warnings from her closest friend and assistant.
In general, the supporting roles are well done and often add a touch of humor to the whole thing.
Before this HBO series came to Cannes, it was the subject of several controversies.
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According to Rolling Stone magazine, there were numerous delays and rewrites, especially during production. According to the article, Euphoria director Sam Levinson, who handled the camera during the project, caused an uproar.
It’s not the first time a series has been screened in Cannes. This was the case, for example, with Irma Vep by Olivier Assayas in 2022.