HBO decided it was a wise decision to screen Sam Levinson’s “The Idol” at Cannes. It turns out they were right. I watched a few episodes of it at the Agnes Varda Theater this morning and this hot mess of a series really puts its hooks on you. Only two episodes were screened, hopefully the intrigue continues on.
It’s fascinatingly self-indulgent art on the part of Levinson. Drugs, dancing, nihilism, narcissism and lots of sex. All shot in vibrantly stylized frames.
The show, which was co-created by Levinson and Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) stars Lily-Rose Depp as a pop star Jocelyn who falls hard for a self-help guru/cult leader named Tedros (Tesfaye). He gets his grip on her and she embarks on a journey of sexual self-discovery.
The series opens with Depp’s Jocelyn in the midst of a photo shoot, a sex intimacy coordinator is there, but she insists in showing her breasts. The coordinator refuses, it’s not in the script he says, so her manager, Chaim (Hank Azaria), locks him up in the bathroom.
Depp is naked or scantily clad almost the entire time. For her to appear fully-clothed in a scene comes as a surprise. Levinson knows what he’s doing here, he’s trying to the push buttons of social conformity. The show is 100% seen via a male gaze and Levinson doesn’t compromise.
Jocelyn first meets Tedros at his night club, they hook up backstage only to be interrupted by her publicist (Rachel Sennott). Jocelyn heads home and proceeds to masturbate, choking herself till she orgasms. This won’t be the last we see her doing this.
Tedros and Jocelyn eventually meet up again, he wants to rebrand her image into a more sexually provocative one. He convinces her to add panting and moaning sounds to her new single. She abides. In fact, she abides by everything he says. She’s his slave, both mentally and physically.
“The Idol” isn’t supposed to be a treatise on how the music industry operates, it’s pure fantasy, and that’s what critics don’t seem to be getting. It’s trashy entertainment, albeit shot in visually stunning fashion. Some of the framing and blocking Levinson concocts here is very impressive.
Levinson’s three features as a director — “Assassination Nation,” “Another Happy Day,” and “Malcolm & Marie” — did not impress me at all. He’s more of a TV phenomenon, especially with his generation-defining “Euphoria.” I believe “The Idol” is his best work as a director.
“The Idol” debuts on HBO on June 4.
Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.