Cannes 2025: First Reactions to Kelly Reichardt’s THE MASTERMIND Starring Josh O’Connor

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival is wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any big new premieres. Today marked the first look at Kelly Reichardt’s THE MASTERMIND, which screened in competition and will launch in US theaters via MUBI later this year.

The Mastermind is written and directed by Kelly Reichardt, and stars Josh O'Connor, Alana Haim, John Magaro, Hope Davis and Bill Camp.

In the film, in a sedate corner of Massachusetts circa 1970, an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief plans his first big heist. When things go haywire, his life unravels.

Check out an official clip from the film and first reactions from the Cannes screening below.

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'The Mastermind' Review: Kelly Reichardt Steals the Spirit of the '70s With a Gorgeously Rumpled Arthouse Art-Heist https://t.co/Q4C2n8aREZ

— Variety (@Variety) May 23, 2025

‘The Mastermind’ Review: Josh O’Connor Lands on Kelly Reichardt’s Precise Wavelength in an Understated, Funny-Sad Heist Movie Like No Other https://t.co/WsIzIDFRxv

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 23, 2025

‘The Mastermind’ #Cannes review: Kelly Reichardt’s sombre slice of 1970s Americana stars Josh O’Connor. By @TimGrierson https://t.co/eNky3M0t4o

— Screen International (@Screendaily) May 23, 2025

Kelly Reichardt's "The Mastermind" is very possibly her most accessible and enjoyable film to date — still it remains an unmistakably Reichardtian investigation into the fabric of ordinariness, and what happens when it frays.

Read the full review here.https://t.co/Q4C2n8aREZ

— Variety (@Variety) May 23, 2025

Shot on film with the grainy warmth that evokes a sleepy 1970 New England municipality as much as it does actual movies from the ‘70s, “The Mastermind” is Kelly Reichardt’s version of a heist movie — meaning that the filmmaker hijacks conventions laid by filmmakers like… pic.twitter.com/V1TpCcxShM

— IndieWire (@IndieWire) May 23, 2025

Kelly Reichardt's THE MASTERMIND is utter perfection and I will brook no opposition on that: variety.com/2025/film/re...

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— Jessica Kiang (@jessicakiang.bsky.social) May 23, 2025 at 1:58 PM

Ryan likes this better than I do, as strong as O'Connor is. It's a slow-paced Reichardt movie! ‘The Mastermind’ Review: Josh O’Connor Is an Art Thief Hijacked by His Own Heist in Kelly Reichardt’s Jazzy 1970s Throwback https://t.co/jkDNTcFlfU via @IndieWire

— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) May 23, 2025

THE MASTERMIND is fabulous! Set in the ‘70s, it could have been made in that era with the increasingly downbeat tone, the simmering societal turmoil and the moral fogginess. The understated direction is stunning and sharp and this is also Josh O’Connor’s best part #Cannes2025 pic.twitter.com/4z0yT9ArfM

— FilmLand Empire (@FilmLandEmpire) May 23, 2025

my #Cannes2025 Top 10, now sans embargo It Was Just an Accident Die, My Love The Love That Remains Eddington Two Prosecutors Mastermind Orwell: 2+2=5 Sirât Miroirs No. 3 Pillion

— Sam Adams (@samadams.bsky.social) May 23, 2025 at 1:57 PM

Kelly Reichardt’s wonderful new movie ‘The Mastermind’ just premiered at Cannes. It features Josh O’Connor’s best performance to date.

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— Vulture (@vulture.com) May 23, 2025 at 1:55 PM

The Mastermind is a fantastic art heist film set in the 70s that feels lowkey and subtle in its dramatic beats yet so engaging and soothing to watch. Kelly Reichardt cleverly uses humour and tone to balance the family story while leaving a sad impression on you in how it falls… pic.twitter.com/Fnbt2ieYug

— Zak 🌹 (@ZakRed567) May 23, 2025

The first shot of THE MASTERMIND is Josh O’Connor with a beard and a woman near me gasped

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 23, 2025

THE MASTERMIND. Josh O’Connor’s performance is clearly magnificent, the internal struggle of a carpenter turned art thief. He shimmers in every scene and brings out his emotional state in a subtle way that makes the character both tragic and fascinating. #Cannes pic.twitter.com/RWGU0maI2a

— Jairo Jiménez @Cannes (@jairojimenez_) May 23, 2025

‘The Mastermind’ Review: Josh O'Connor Is A Perfect Fit For Kelly Reichardt’s Layered, Laconic Heist Story – Cannes Film Festival https://t.co/mmFabY6jxs

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 23, 2025

Every new Kelly Reichardt movie is its own kind of revelation. THE MASTERMIND is a '70s movie that actually feels like a lost '70s movie, led by a peerless Josh O'Connor as an unemployed carpenter turned art thief. My @THR review from #Cannes2025 https://t.co/esn95twf87

— David Rooney (@DavidCRooney1) May 23, 2025

Kelly Reichardt’s THE MASTERMIND is suffused with her typical offbeat humor embodied by Josh O’Connor’s perfectly pathetic turn. Deliberate pacing will be a turn-off for many but turning this laughable art heist into a Vietnam War metaphor may be a stroke of genius. #Cannes2025 pic.twitter.com/SrbSUZAN2J

— Dancin' Dan in Cannes-land (@dancindanonfilm) May 23, 2025

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