Opposites attract as the curtain rises on Cannes festival

CANNES, France — The Festival de Cannes, a wise man once said, is not just impossible to describe to someone who hasn’t been there, it’s nearly impossible to describe to someone who has. And that’s especially the case this year.

Opening Wednesday night with the already much talked about “Grace of Monaco,” Cannes contains elements that in a sane world wouldn’t be found anywhere near each other. But no one ever called this place sane, and attracting opposites turns out to be business as usual for this festival.