French incest 'fairytale' trashed by Cannes critics

A French incest "fairytale" brought a touch of scandal to the Cannes Film Festival Tuesday but even the frisson of illicit sex couldn't save the movie from a critical mauling. "Marguerite and Julien", one of five French movies among the 19 contenders for the top prize at the world's biggest cinema showcase, tells the true story of aristocratic siblings in 16th century France whose deep love turns into physical passion when they reach adolescence. French actress-turned-director Valerie Donzelli said she was attracted to the bohemian spirit of the story, adapted from an unrealised screenplay by Jean Gruault, who wrote it in the 1970s for French New Wave icon Francois Truffaut.