Abdellatif Kechiche Absent from Locarno Premiere of ‘Mektoub, My Love: Canto Due’

Abdellatif Kechiche was a no-show at the Locarno premiere of Mektoub, My Love: Canto Due, the long-awaited third chapter in his divisive trilogy. Meanwhile, Ophélie Bau, the actress who threw him into controversy, was present.

The 64-year-old filmmaker, who won the Palme d’Or for “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” is said to be recovering from health issues, including a recent stroke which has resulted in speech impairment. His filmmaking future is uncertain.

Regardless, ‘Canto Due’ has indeed screened, and French critics seem to genuinely like it a lot. No surprise, UK/US press, such as The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, seem to hate it. The film is not as lengthy as the first two instalments, with a 134-minute runtime, and that’s despite Kechiche having reportedly shot close to 1000 hours of footage for ‘Canto Due.’

Kechiche’s last film, 2019’s Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo, a near four-hour twerking-infatuated dance odyssey, polarized Cannes and led to the filmmaker facing allegations from lead actress Bau, who claimed she never gave Kechiche consent to include her non-simulated oral sex scene in ‘Intermezzo.’

At Locarno, there was no press conference, which still didn’t stop the subject from coming up. During a post screening Q&A, one attendee asked the cast whether they had “experienced anything on set” during production. Bau, who famously walked out of Intermezzo’s Cannes screening, declined to elaborate: “I’m not here to talk about my experience on set. I’m here for a film.”

However, Bau’s co-stars, including Jessica Pennington, were more direct: “I was shocked by the allegation. I had no problem with him… I had a fantastic time working with Abdel.”

Kechiche insists he’s the victim of a media conspiracy, pointing fingers at the French press and Bau’s agent, who he claims orchestrated a takedown campaign to destroy his career. “Mission accomplished,” he’s said in interviews. He’s also maintained that Bau was fully aware of — and enthusiastic about — her role in the film, even requesting her then-boyfriend be cast in the now-infamous cunnilingus scene.

Still, whether you can stomach his methods or not, Kechiche remains one of France’s most vital filmmakers. The Palme d’Or winner has always had an uncanny ear for dialogue, and a camera that lingers just long enough to hypnotize.

What makes these ‘Mektoub’ films so strange and fascinating is how blurred everything feels — is it scripted, improvised, lived? You’re never quite sure. And that uncertainty, that rawness, is what keeps you watching.

I might get sent a screener for ‘Canto Due,’ and very much look forward to finally seeing this film, shot more than six years ago, and which some believed would never see the light of day.