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Critically acclaimed film focuses on struggling musician amid folk-revival scene from which Bob Dylan would emergeDespite a day lashed by biblical torrents of rain, critics had a spring in their step as they left Cannes' Palais des Festivals on Saturday night, elbowing their way into a forest of umbrellas. The explanation was simple: Inside Llewyn Davis, the Coen brothers' latest offering, was roundly greeted as a joyful masterpiece and a serious contender for this year's Palme d'Or.If they win, it would be the first time the Cannes favourites have taken the top prize since 1991, when Barton Fink was awarded the Palme.The film is set in 1961 in New York, amid the folk-revival scene from which Bob Dylan would emerge. But this is not a story about the singer-songwriter, whom Ethan Coen called "the elephant in the room" of the film. The story, inspired by the memoir of folk singer Dave Van Ronk, instead takes as its main character a struggling artist teetering between success and failure, who would later be eclipsed by what its star, Oscar Isaac, breaking through into his first major leading film role, described as "the poet, the abstract thinker", that Dylan became. It is about, said Joel Coen, "the lesser-known scene that Dylan came into as such a transformative figure".Justin Timblerlake, who plays Llewyn Davis's friend and fellow singer John, contrasted the milieu of the film with today's frenetic music scene. "I would argue that – and I think this is happening more and more – that there's a lot of analysis now about what's likely to be successful and what's a failure," he said. Such obsession with music's marketability was a distraction from artistry. "The most important thing is not to get caught up in the rat race of what might be perceived a certain way," he said.Isaac is the heart and soul of the film, which contains lengthy sequences of him performing entire songs. Ethan Coen called the search for the lead "a casting challenge; we were screwed before we met Oscar Isaac", who is a classically trained guitarist. Music producer T Bone Burnett, who performed with Dylan, said "The odds against us making the film at all were very long. The odds against us finding Oscar Isaac were one in 17 million."John's wife, Jean, also a singer, is played by Carey Mulligan. Inside Llewyn Davis is the British actor's second appearance at this year's Cannes, after her role as Daisy Buchanan in Baz Lurhmann's The Great Gatsby. Part of the pleasure of the film, said Ethan Coen, was hearing Mulligan "swear like a stevedore". She also sings in the film. "I told them I could sing so I could get the part," she said. Mulligan is married to British folk artist Marcus Mumford, who worked on the film's music.Some of the lovingly recreated performances – a trio of chaps in Arran sweaters singing in close harmony, or John and Jean's songs, reminiscent of Peter, Paul and Mary – have a comic edge. But, said Joel Coen, there is no parody intended. "I think you can tell from the movie that this music is something that we have a deep respect and fondness for. Not to say that there's nothing funny about folk music – there are plenty of funny things about folk music."Coen brothersCannes film festivalFestivalsCannes 2013Charlotte Higginsguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Devilish Dutch drama 'Borgman' debuts at Cannes Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 6:15 am, Sunday, May 19, 2013 In Dutch director Alex van Warmerdam's supernaturally-tinged psychological drama, a mysterious interloper emerges from a forest and knocks on the door of a wealthy family's modernist mansion. "Borgman," one of 20 films competing for the Palme d'Or, is The Netherlands' first Cannes contender in 38 years, though van Warmerdam's 1998 film "Little Tony" played in the festival's sidebar competition, Un Certain Regard. "Borgman" combines elements of medieval supernatural stories — one scene has villagers and a priest hunting the evil spirits in a deep, dark forest — with a low-key modern approach. [] on purpose I give them cellphones. Because I hate them I made myself love them.

Coens' folk revival 'Llewyn' serenades Cannes Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 6:34 am, Sunday, May 19, 2013 CANNES, France (AP) — The Coen brothers' resurrection of the pre-Dylan folk scene in Greenwich Village serenaded Cannes with its period music and melancholy tale of a self-destructive, feline-toting musician. The film stars the relatively unknown Oscar Isaac as a talented but adrift singer-songwriter trying to attract attention after the suicide of his singing partner as he bounces from couch to couch. Isaac and the cast (Carey Mulligan as a furious, expletive-spewing friend; Justin Timberlake as a cheesy pop folkie) performed their songs live with music supervisor T-Bone Burnett, who memorably collaborated with the Coens on the Grammy-winning hit soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Set in 1961 on the cusp of Bob Dylan's arrival ("the elephant in the room," Ethan Coen said), "Inside Llewyn Davis" is loosely based on the unfinished memoir by folk singer Dave Van Ronk, "The Mayor of MacDougal Street." In perhaps the film's most remarkable scene, he, along with Isaac and a cowboy hat-wearing Adam Driver (the "Girls" actor), record the absurd, bouncy "Please, Mr. Kennedy."

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