Paper Tiger - In Competition Review
Premiering on May 16th, 2026, at the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival, Paper Tiger is a deeply felt and intense drama about two brothers who become entangled in a scheme that turns out to be too good to be true. As they try to navigate their way through the dangerous world of the Russian mafia, family bonds begin to fray with life-altering consequences. Directed by James Gray, the film stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller, Joel Marsh Garland, Raphael Corkhill, Meredith Holzman, Cindy Katz, Patrick Murney, Jeff Adler, Rosslyn Luke, Dimiter D. Marinov, Yelena Solovey, and Yavor Vesselinov. Gray is no stranger to the Cannes Film Festival. His films, including The Yards (2000), We Own the Night (2007), Two Lovers (2008), and The Immigrant (2013), have all been nominated for the Palme d'Or in past years. However, with Paper Tiger getting a lot of buzz even prior to the film's release, 2026 may be the year that James Gray finally brings home the Palme d'Or.
Off the top of my head, I couldn't tell you the last time a film used the 1980's aesthetic in an artistic way that didn't come off as either bland or out of place. This changed after seeing Paper Tiger. There is something just so swauve about this film, from its cinematography, the graininess of the visuals, the actors, the setting, everything down to the costumes, that truly feels like this film has been lost since 1986 and was just found today. The aesthetics fit perfectly here, and the plot is also really tight. Never having lived in the 1980s, nor having dealt with the Russian mob, there was something so nostalgic about this film. I believe that nostalgia isn't derived from a specific time period in history, but instead from a particular era in film. As so many films and television shows nowadays are set in the 1980s, solely for the purpose of profiting from nostalgia, this film channels a similar feeling, but turns it into something more genuine, more concentrated, and overall a film you can lose yourself in, despite never having experienced anything related to the events in the film. One final note, there is a shoot-out scene that is so amazingly original, and incredibly shot, it may just take your breath away.
Although Adam Driver is a standout in the film by himself, the film really comes alive with the incredible dynamic between him, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson. When all three of them clash on screen, it truly feels like these actors are giving this film their all; they are putting all the cards on the table, and you, as the audience, feel the pressure they are under, and sympathize with the decisions each of them is forced to make. The relationship between the two male leads is definitely the emotional core of the film. Even though their upbringing isn't overtly stated in the story, through context clues and how we see them at the start and the end of the film, a picture of their brotherhood is perfectly painted. In addition to this, Miles Teller himself is the father of two young boys in the film, and seeing the subtle mirroring between their relationship and Miles' and Adam's, propels this idea further. Lastly, while talking about performances, it would be impossible not to mention the emotional weight that Scarlett Johansson brings to this film. It is so easy to forget her acting capabilities after you've seen her in blockbuster after blockbuster, but in Paper Tiger, she sheds all of that, and what you're left with is a mom who just wants to do right by her family, even willing to put her own demons aside for the betterment of those she loves. I would recommend this to anyone, but I would highly recommend this to those who love or miss the crime/family/mob films of the 1970s and 80s, think The French Connection or The Conversation.
