Gosling’s New Film Gets Booed At Cannes

Ryan Gosling’s latest film Only God Forgives got booed after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2011, Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn released Drive at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie received critical praise from press and a standing ovation from the crowd. The duo’s latest film, however, was met with boos and jeers.

The Starcalls the movie a “slow-motion bloodbath” and notes that Gosling’s character could have been replaced by a mute zombie.

Gosling may have seen the backlash coming as he decided not to join the rest of the cast at the premiere at Cannes. Gosling is currently working on his directorial debut, How to Catch a Monster, and was conveniently too busy to walk the red carpet.

Cannes director Thierry Frémaux read a letter from Gosling before the premiere of Only God Forgives:“Can’t believe I’m not In Cannes… I was hoping to come but I’m on week three shooting my film in Detroit. Miss you all. Nicolas, my friend, we really are the same person in different dimensions. I’m sending you good vibrations.”

The good vibrations didn’t help. The film has been ripped by critics for being nearly unwatchable due to all of the gratuitous violence. Movie critic Peter Howell said that the most gruesome acts in the movie include “eye gouging, head piercing and an appalling act of desecration of a body that can’t be described here, other than to say it might well have sent Sigmund Freud calling for his mommy.”

Here’s the trailer for Only God Forgives.

Director Nicolas Refn was not about to apologize for the film. Refn said that he had a fetish for violent emotion and said that the film was meant to penetrate the audience.

Refn said: “Art is an act of violence… Art is about penetration. … I approach things very much like a pornographer. It’s about what arouses me. And certain things turn me on more than other stuff, and I can’t supress that. … I have surely a fetish for violent emotion and violent images and I can’t explain where it comes from.”

[Image Via DFree / Shutterstock.com]