New in the cinema: Josh O’Connor as a lovable loser

The British actor Josh O’Connor is currently one of the cinema’s shooting stars. Once made famous with the series “The Crown,” the 35-year-old can now be seen in more and more major cinema productions. At the Cannes Film Festival this year, two works with him in the lead roles premiered in competition.

One of them is “The Mastermind” by Kelly Reichardt, which is now in cinemas. In it, O’Connor plays a spoiled family man who becomes an art robber by accident. He organizes this art theft very clumsily, so that he ultimately has to hide from the police.

A charming story about a loser

Films about art thefts or robberies are a genre of their own; in English they are called “heist movies”. They talk about the planning and execution of a crime, focusing on the perspective of the perpetrators. But unlike “Ocean’s Eleven”, Reichardt foregoes spectacle and excessive tension.

Instead, she has made a restrained, quietly ironic tale about a likeable loser – or as Reichardt herself described the kind of character that inspired her: “a bumbling idiot, but in some ways also a hero.”

The film impresses with humor, multi-faceted characters, subtle images and a nostalgic atmosphere. “The Mastermind” is set in a small town in Massachusetts around 1970. O’Connor plays the unemployed carpenter JB Mooney, who at some point notices that the works of art in a local gallery are not particularly well secured.

And this is how the story goes. Mooney plans the theft with two equally inexperienced acquaintances. With increasing incomprehension, he is observed by his working wife (Alana Haim), who has to organize everyday family life and keep it together.

A story about megalomaniacal men

The Vietnam War is also an issue in the background, but Reichardt is not primarily concerned with political messages. Nevertheless, social criticism resonates. O’Connor said of his character in Cannes: “I think he had great expectations for his life that he never fulfilled. He believes he deserved better. He thinks his grand plan is a masterpiece, a work of art in its own right.”

Of course it isn’t and it is a catastrophe. “But it comes from absolute privilege. It comes from the fact that generations of men have been told that they deserve better.”

Associations with Donald Trump

In Cannes, journalists made connections with US President Donald Trump. American actor John Magaro, who plays a supporting role in the film, said at the press conference in May: “It’s ridiculous. We have a head of government who throws tantrums every day and that affects the lives of millions and millions of people. It’s hard for me to remain hopeful.”

Filmmaker Reichardt defended herself against comparisons of her main character with Trump. “I’m not going to compare my Mooney to that guy!” she said. In fact, you can never really be angry with the art robber JB Mooney in the film. A performance that is also thanks to Josh O’Connor’s charming game.