The word gets bandied around a lot, but genuine cinematic "auteurs" are a rare breed. It's easy to understand the excitement that Xavier Dolan inspires, even before you've watched any of his gloriously overheated films. The Quebecois director — who also writes, edits and sometimes stars in his movies, as well as designs costumes — has had five premieres at Cannes, and he's still only 27.
Yet it seems like the honeymoon may be over. Last September, Dolan posted a message on Instagram, announcing that he wouldn't be taking his next picture to Cannes. While reiterating his love for the festival, he took issue with the "culture of trolling, bullying and unwarranted hatred" that had infected the way movies were received there.
You can forgive him for feeling a little sore. Having won the third-place Jury Prize for "Mommy" at Cannes in 2014 — and sharing the award with Jean-Luc Godard, no less — Dolan returned last year to see his hotly awaited follow-up, "It's Only the End of the World," subjected to a brutal critical bloodletting.