Idol Sulfur with Lily-Rose Depp? Is the new Euphoria creator series up to the task?

It was one of the most anticipated events at the Cannes Film Festival on May 23: the presentation of The Idol, a new series directed by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. The series is co-created by Levinson, Abel Tesfai, aka The Weeknd, and Reza Fahim. Festivalgoers were presented with a 1 hour 46 hour “feature film” montage, which may represent the pilot or the first two episodes of the series.

Controversy surrounded this first installment of the series, as several media outlets reported on-set creative differences (which led to the departure of the project’s original director) and Sam Levinson suggested scenes that were considered problematic in the script. What is it really?

At the Cannes press conference, Levinson spoke clearly about this controversy initiated by Rolling Stone: “We know we made a provocative series. Things are curious… It seemed completely foreign to me. I know what I am. (…) Everyone is free to write what they want, if I have a small objection, it is that I believe they left everything out on purpose , which wasn’t bad about them. But we saw that happen recently, didn’t we?”

Crushed pop star

The story is about Jocelyn, a somewhat lost pop star who has just lost her mother and whose new album is coming out soon. Slowly coming out of a very difficult time, many financial stakes rest on his shoulders and he is not really in a position to take them. It is at this moment that a certain Tedros appears in his life, a kind of strange guru who will bring him under his influence.

The character of Tedros is clearly shown as a predator. The music that accompanies his arrival at Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) is worthy of a horror movie, and he’s dressed as a new-age Dracula. We quickly see that everything is calculated with him and that he has bad intentions when approaching the singer, himself vulnerable and suffering from severe depression.

Two visions collide

We have a feeling the two series are about to collide in The Idol. The first, Feminist, tries to show how stardom can be suffocating, the toll fame can take on a weakened person, the crushing responsibility a star has (dozens of jobs depend on him) and the terrible stress. generate… and the second one, which can be considered more problematic.

For example, the series opens with a photo shoot of Jocelyn, during which she spontaneously wants to show her breasts. This was not confirmed by an on-set intimate relationship coordinator who requested a 48-hour shoot, the time required to comply with the rules and for the singer’s contract to include black and white, that she agreed to reveal it. the body.

Then begins a sequence in which the coordinator is mocked, disinterested in his work, and locked in the toilets to resume the photo shoot. Denunciation of the administrative excess caused by the profession that has emerged in the wake of #MeToo, or to say that the profession is worthless? The answer is not obvious.

We also see a scene in the studio where Tedros half chokes Jocelyn during sex play and as she chokes he tells her she can sing now “Like one who knows how to love love”. After this scene, Jocelyn records a remix of her next song in a very sensual voice, which she has never done before, and is unable to make a clip of the old version. It is implied that Tedros has opened some eyes with his extreme methods.

If this can be considered inherently embarrassing, strictly speaking, there is no scandal surrounding the sexual scenes shown in these two episodes. Will the sequel be even more hardcore?

In terms of form, Levinson is certainly influenced by post-Basic Instinct erotic thrillers (the film is also mentioned in the series), with mysterious and ambiguous images and “giallo” syllables, which already made Euphoria a success.

In short

Do the scenes raise questions? Yes, but you’ll have to watch the entire series before drawing any conclusions. Will Levinson reinvent himself? No. Are we finding a style of euphoria? Yes. Do you have to watch the series to make up your mind? Absolutely, and it’s available starting June 5 on Prime Video (with Warner Pass).