‘Based on a True Story’ Cannes Review: Roman Polanski Thriller Is Timid and Unsure

The most generous thing you can say about “Based On A True Story”, Roman Polanski’s half-baked almost-thriller that screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, is that it goes down easy enough.

Banking on the director’s eyes-closed, hands-behind-his-back skill and a game cast of actresses, the film is an enjoyable if not terribly memorable jaunt.

Actress Emmanuelle Seigner, the star Polanski of successes like “Frantic” and “Bitter Moon,” once again takes center stage.

Seigner plays Delphine, a successful author still running victory laps from her last literary sensation while slowly confronting the fact that she has no idea how to start her next one.

Apart from a number of narrative dead ends and red herrings, Polanski (and Assayas, I suppose) never crack the dynamic between the actresses.