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May 26, 2012

Cannes, Day 11: The Day Arthur Became King

Day 11 of Cannes began with the first of our impending goodbyes as Rawson and Zoe bid us adieu as they returned to the Big Apple. Rawson joined Hayley, Sharon, and I for a farewell breakfast before catching his 11:00 cab to the airport.

But the show must go on, and on we went into town in an effort to capture some posters for ourselves, because they had been out of stock every time we tried. We stopped in a gift shop where the guy tried to overprice us and wouldn't show us the merchandise. We walked out in a rage, only to discover that the Official Boutique still did not have a shipment in! So we went away, prepared to try again that afternoon, as per the clerk's suggestion.

But then the shining sun (which we had anticipated to be hidden behind a mask of clouds) got even brighter after Arthur told us that we were cordially invited aboard his dad's colleague's brother-in-law's boat. We booked it back to the college and put on our swimsuits. We had to get on this boat. It was one of the things we had wanted to do while in Cannes, and we were in shock that it was really happening.

We walked over to the pier, stopping at a little food stand that ended up being amazing, much to our surprise. It looked shabby, so we had always avoided it: a prime example of judging a book by its cover. Alas.

So we hopped onto the boat with the guy and his 3 friends. They were so friendly and nice to us, and we got to talking about the film festival and what our favorite movies are. It was very refreshing to talk to someone who came to the festival for business but still took advantage of and valued the artistic integrity of the films.

The ride was beautiful. Clear, blue sea for miles. We weaved through the luxury yachts around us, making our way to the myriad of boats parked between these two islands. We parked, and I took off my shirt, ready to enter the water. I dipped in a toe and it was damn cold. But I wanted to go in. So I stepped back and leapt. The guys started laughing at me, telling me I was crazy, but Hayley quickly followed suit. After a bit of hesitancy, Arthur and Sharon jumped in as well into the super salty sea.

After some hanging out, a bit of wine, and some great conversation, we headed back into shore. It was a wonderful afternoon, and we were all on such a high as we breezed into the port. We got off the boat and ran to the poster shop. Success was ours! We were thrilled. But we didn't have much time if we wanted to get into the premiere of Mud, so we sprinted back and changed faster than a speeding bullet. We hurried back (Arthur didn't come, as he had seen the movie in the morning) and began to beg our asses off.

Luck came quickly (shocking) and Hayley and I managed to snag an Orchestra ticket each, while I also got Sharon a balcony. I have this natural gift for getting tickets. It's a skill.

We got some soft serve ice cream. Mint Chip!!! And Hayley finally got her soft serve chocolate banana. She loves banana flavored things. Loves. Anyway, we walked up the red carpet (12th time) and sat in our seats. To our excitement, Hayley and I were both by the aisle that the director and cast walk down! We were so excited to see Jeff Nichols walk in, followed by Matthew McCounaughey and Reese Witherspoon. The movie was really good - not amazing - just very, very good. Read more about that here.

The standing o lasted for quite some time, and the boys who were the leads were brought to tears. Heart-wrenching. They walked out, and we followed, meeting Arthur outside the palais.

Now, as if Arthur hadn't already done so enough for us today, he surprised us with invitations to a closed party (open bar) hosted by Schweppes. We grabbed dinner at this wonderful little restaurant and ran over to meet the person who was letting us in at 10:30. We walked inside and were the first people there, so we waited a bit, and suddenly, the party was hopping. The drinks were great, the beach was open, and we were so excited to be there. Thank you Arthur Cohen.

We had a great time, but Hayley and Sharon wanted to go at around 1:30. Arthur and I stayed a bit later, before rushing to McDonald's to grab some food. We headed back and prepared to crash after a great evening. Arthur went to bed, and I was getting ready, but then Whit came into the room and told me that people were going to the beach, so I went with him and Jaycee. We hung out there for awhile, listening to music and talking, before heading back in. My head hit the pillow, my eyes closed, and I was out like a light.

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