Josh O’Connor Earns Standing Ovation

Kelly Reichardt’s latest film “The Mastermind,” starring Josh O’Connor as an art thief on the run, earned a 5.5-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere on Friday night.

Reichardt’s subdued, ‘70s-set movie was essentially a one-man show for O’Connor, with him appearing in nearly every scene. Haim plays his quiet wife, who is aware of his husband’s schemes but leaves with their twin boys once the cops start tracking him down.

In tears, Reichardt humbly accepted the applause, but as the standing and clapping went on and on, she seemed eager to take the mic and get on with her remarks. She poignantly told the crowd, “America’s in a ditch right now, but maybe we’ll get out of it. But in the meantime we have the movies.”

Though the film doesn’t have an outwardly strong political message, it’s set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, adding an extra layer of desperation to O’Connor’s character.

When the lights came up, the audience stood and applauded politely, with cheers for O’Connor’s lead performance roaring loudest. Some of that adulation might have carried over from his stellar work in “The History of Sound,” the premiere for which since the actor missed out on Wednesday night due to filming Steven Spielberg’s new movie. (Before the film began, one audience member yelled out “We love you, Josh,” just as one did for his “History” co-star Paul Mescal the other night.) Alana Haim got a big surge of support too as her sisters Danielle and Este Haim smiled and clapped in the row behind the cast.

According to its official synopsis, “The Mastermind” takes place “in a sedate corner of Massachusetts circa 1970” as “an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief plans his first big heist. When things go haywire, his life unravels.” Alongside O’Connor and Haim, the film also stars John Magaro, Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffmann, Eli Gelb, Cole Doman, Javion Allen, Matthew Maher, Rhenzy Feliz and Ryan Homchick. In addition to directing, Reichardt also penned the script.

“First Cow” director Reichardt made her Cannes debut in 2008 with her third film “Wendy and Lucy,” starring Michelle Williams, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section. In 2022, her most recent film “Showing Up,” also starring Williams, competed for the Palme d’Or.

“The Mastermind” is O’Connor’s second film in Cannes competition this year, but his first time attending the festival. He’s also starring in Oliver Hermanus’ gay romance “The History of Sound” alongside Paul Mescal. The duo play two men who travel to New England together in the summer of 1919 to record the folk songs of their rural countrymen. It’s also Haim’s debut at the festival, and only her second feature film after the musician broke into acting in 2021 with Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza.” She’s also starring in Anderson’s next movie, “One Battle After Another,” as well as Kristoffer Borgli’s “The Drama” alongside Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.

Cannes Film Festival runs May 13 to 24.