Read, Watch or Listen

The Cannes Film Festival showcased two notable documentaries. Eugene Jarecki's "The Six Billion Dollar Man", a film about Julian Assange, premiered out of competition and received a Golden Globes documentary award. While presenting a sympathetic view of Assange, the film's arguments are sometimes unconvincing. In contrast, Raoul Peck's "Orwell: 2+2=5", a compelling exploration of Orwell's life and relevance to contemporary political struggles, received critical acclaim, though its scope is expansive. The festival's treatment of documentaries remains uneven, highlighting the disparity in attention given to nonfiction works.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.