Ryan Gosling booed at Cannes premiere of his latest film, "Only God Forgives" which is a violent movie set in Bangkok. Ryan Gosling was not there at the premiere but said he sends "good vibrations" to all who attended, the Daily Mail noted.
Ryan Gosling, 32, was unable to attend the premiere because he's been in Detroit, Michigan, filming his directorial debut. Meanwhile, critics in attendance at the movie premiere gave negative reviews on "Only God Forgives" in which Gosling stars in the blood-soaked Bangkok-set revenge drama.
"Can't believe I'm not In Cannes," wrote Gosling in a letter to the Cannes audience, read by the festival's director before the screening. "I was hoping to come but I'm on week three shooting my film in Detroit. Miss you all. Nicolas, my friend, we really are the same person in different dimensions. I'm sending you good vibrations."
"Drive" director Nicolas Winding Refn's reunites with Gosling for the film which left many in the auditorium wincing or unable to watch, according to the AFP.
In one scene, Gosling's character Julian tells his crime boss mother (Scott Thomas) that his brother Billy has raped and killed a 16-year-old girl. In another scene, Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm playing an ex-cop on a mission to purge Bangkok of sleaze, holds a man down in an armchair with knives and stabs him through the eye.
Refn defended the film to his detractors, saying, "Art is an act of violence. Art is about penetration. Art is about speaking to our subconscious and our needs at different levels."
Negative reviews have begun flooding the web following the premiere.
"The wallpaper emotes more than Ryan Gosling does in 'Only God Forgives,' an exercise in supreme style and minimal substance from 'Drive' director Nicolas Winding Refn," wrote Peter Debruge for Variety.
"Refn has made a name for himself with spartan narratives, but there's maybe even less story on offer here than before, and what there is feels kind of crammed into the last third of the film," wrote Jessica Kiang in her review for The Playlist. "
Watch the trailer for "Only God Forgives" below:
