The Idol, the new HBO Max series, co-created by the musician The Weeknd, has become the most controversial work of the current edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
In large part this is due to its sexually explicit content, which many experts already dismiss as “almost pornographic,” even by network TV standards.
Among the divided and contrasting criticisms that have come out of Cannes after the special exhibition of the first two episodes of the show, those directed at its protagonist, actress Lily-Rose Depp, stand out.
Johnny Depp’s daughter, just 23 years old, was accused of “getting too naked” and exaggerating, scene after scene, her breasts and buttocks.
“Rarely do we see a scene where the camera doesn’t show her breasts or bottoms. You come to wonder if all this has a specific point, worse by the second episode, you know that perhaps there is no compelling reason, “reflected The Hollywood Reporter.
“Depp’s fluid-in-the-face revenge porn, ice cube masturbation and Hollywood sociopaths bog down the first two episodes of an already controversial series,” Variety magazine added.
In The Idol, co-created by The Weeknd and Sam Levinson, the mastermind behind Euphoria, Lily-Rose Depp plays Jocelyn, a pop star who wants to return to fame after several scandals.
Despite the negative comments, other critics praised Depp for taking a chance on such a complex role, which, in the story, meets a mysterious man named Tedros (Tesfaye), who secretly runs a sex cult similar to the real NXIVM.