CANNES, FRANCE – In an unprecedented display of cinematic passion and smugness, a film’s 11-minute standing ovation received its own, distinct 20-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday.
The initial 11-minute ovation began when the credits rolled on a particularly poignant scene in the French art-house drama “The Inert Gasses of Marcel.” As the camera panned out to reveal the stunning Parisian skyline as it faded to black, the packed audience erupted into applause and cheers, with some attendees rising from their seats to show their appreciation for the film’s nuanced exploration of chemically-induced existential ennui.
Quite pleased with themselves, and emotionally shaken by their own display, the audience began to reward it’s loving applause with a separate 20-minute standing ovation in recognition of their outburst.
The fresh, self-congratulatory 20-minute ovation-ovation featured a series of emotional highs and lows, including multiple instances of tears streaming down faces, arms thrown around shoulders, and impromptu renditions of “La Marseillaise.”
At one point, a group of rowdy cinephiles attempted to break out into a rendition of the theme song from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” but were politely ushered away by festival security.
Despite the chaos, both the 11-minute and 20-minute standing ovations concluded without incident, with the audience slowly making their exit from the theater in a state of euphoria and cinematic exhaustion, with medical teams on standby.
“This is what cinema is all about,” said one attendee, still reeling from the experience. “It’s not just about watching a movie – it’s about being transported to another world, where the boundaries between reality and art are blurred and we can lose ourselves in something truly beautiful!”
After uttering this, another attendee who overheard the statement was so moved to tears, that she started yet another minutes-long ovation among the remaining crowd.
The film’s director, Jean-Luc Fournier, was unavailable for comment, reportedly having returned to his hotel room hours prior.