Sam Levinson is known for pushing the boundaries with his graphic depictions of sex, nudity and drug use on the popular drama Euphoria, so it’s no surprise that his newest project — the upcoming HBO series The Idol — is already stirring up controversy due to its explicit content. The director took over the project when it was almost finished, scrapping most of it and shifting the script’s narrative into what crew members have called “torture porn.” The reviews are in, after the first two episodes were screened at Cannes Film Festival, so let’s see what they think after all the changes to the series and reported issues.
The Idol stars Lily-Rose Depp as aspiring pop star Jocelyn and Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd, who also co-created the series) as the sex cult leader she becomes involved with. Depp seemed to be having the best time with her colleagues at the premiere in France, and Deadline reports the show got a 5-minute standing ovation from the Cannes crowd, but what do the critics have to say?
