Annette

After its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in July, it instantly became clear that Annette had divided the audience. Will you like or loathe Annette? There’s only one way to find out.

Leos Carax’s English-language debut, a musical co-written by Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks, stars Adam Driver as stand-up comedian Henry McHenry, who falls in love with famous opera singer Ann Defrasnoux (Marion Cotillard). They get married and have a daughter named Annette, portrayed by a wooden marionette puppet, who has her mother’s gift for singing. Henry becomes jealous of their talent and success as his career takes a downturn, with devastating consequences.

Annette isn’t for everyone. Carax makes bold and experimental filmmaking choices, resulting in a film that is weird and absolutely mad. It’s very hard to get past the craziness of it all and simply enjoy the story because it’s just so bonkers but it does eventually hit its stride after Henry’s...