At once a commercial Rubik’s Cube, a 2001: A Space Odyssey–style ominous monolith, and a sparkling, multifaceted diamond, the Cannes Film Festival has many moving parts but thrives on this very complexity. For the past two editions, Un Certain Regard has been dedicated to emerging talents; this year nine of the 20 selections are debut features. One of the many equations a Cannes selection must solve is its relationship with current events. The Cannes Film Festival may be a large-format photo of the cinematic planet, but it is not a map of the world. Jean-Michel Frodon is a journalist and film critic who has been covering the Cannes Film Festival for 42 years.