Brutal scenes kick off Cannes film contest

"FEAR IN THEIR GUT"

"Heli" tells the story of a family dragged into Mexico's violent drug war through the unwitting actions of a 12-year-old girl in love with a young police cadet.

Escalante's atmospheric shots of wide Mexican landscapes ultimately give way to stomach-turning scenes of torture.

"My characters suffer violent acts and as a result find themselves under tension," Escalante said in an interview in the festival program. "In Mexico, everyone lives with a kind of fear in their gut."

Ozon's "Jeune & Jolie" is a coming-of-age film featuring actress Marine Vacth in nearly every scene, often nude.

We first see Isabelle, 17, with her well-heeled family on summer vacation, where she has sex for the first time with a young man. Months later, she has begun a secret life as a prostitute.

"The subject of the film is, above all, what is it like to be 17 years old and to feel your body transforming," Ozon said in an interview.

"All of a sudden, you assault your body in order to feel something and push the limits. Prostitution was a way to get at this aspect," he added.

This year's lineup includes five US movies, the highest number in six years, including Steven Soderbergh's eagerly awaited "Behind the Candelabra" about pianist Liberace, and "Inside Llewyn Davis", the Coen brothers' look at the early Greenwich Village folk music scene.

The jury, including famed director Steven Spielberg, Australian actress Nicole Kidman and French actor Daniel Auteuil, will choose the main winner on May 26.

The festival opened on Wednesday night with a film not competing for the top prize - Baz Luhrmann's glamorous "The Great Gatsby".

Heavy rain did nothing to stop the fans clamoring for autographs from stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan on the red carpet.