Wong Kar Wai’s English-language debut My Blueberry Nights opened the 60th edition of the Cannes Film Festival today. The film represents both a series of changes for the director -- a new language, a new country, a new director of photography and a singer with no acting experience in the lead role in the form of Norah Jones -- but at the same time the director also relies heavily on what makes a film a Wong Kar Wai film, including the signature abundance of neon-lights and that dreamy atmosphere that have become a director’s trademark. Since it is in English and co-stars Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Rachel Weisz, the film will probably be a bigger international hit than his previous efforts, but artistically speaking My Blueberry Nights is not a step forward but rather a step back.

French veteran director André Téchiné proves he remains one of the foremost chroniclers of French life and human relationships in general with his haunting new drama Les témoins (The Witnesses), which played in competition at the recent Berlinale. This multi-layered story set in the 1980s focuses on the contrasts between illness and health, sex and romance, friendship and companionship and the fluidity of all these categories in the face of the capriciousness of both life and the humans who get to live it to tell the tale. Despite a disappointing opening on French soil, this highly intelligent drama should connect with arthouse audiences across the continent before finding an even bigger following on DVD.

Audrey Tautou and Guillaume Canet, two of France’s brightest young stars, headline Ensemble, c’est tout (Hunting and Gathering), a not particularly original "opposites attract"-style love story that is made more than bearable by the affable actors and the work of writer-director Claude Berri. The adaptation of the bestselling novel from French writer Anna Gavalda is frothy and intelligent in all the right places, at least until the film’s overly clichéd ending robs it of much of its off-kilter charm. Since its release in France three weeks ago, it has already seduced 1.5 million viewers; the film will be released across the continent later this year, probably with similar results.

For viewers interested in the Franco-Algerian question but put off by the intellectual puzzle that was Michael Haneke’s Caché or the simplistic indignity of the colonial soldiers drama Indigènes (Days of Glory), Thomas Gilou’s comparatively breezy Michou d’Auber might be the perfect antidote. Instead of prying in the thematic and visual murk, all is out in the celluloid sunshine in this unoriginal but handsomely mounted feature. Perhaps also due to the excellent performances from marquee names Gérard Depardieu and Natalie Baye as well as newcomer Samy Seghir, Michou d’Auber has already clocked up over 850 000 visitors in France. Further sales on DVD and TV are a distinct possibility. French film festivals should consider the film’s potential as counter-programming or double-feature material.