Ryan Gosling may well be pleased that he missed this year's Cannes Film Festival: his new film, Only God Forgives, received resounding boos at its screening Wednesday.

Many critics in attendance were turned off by the extreme violent content of Only God Forgives, described as "[a] Bangkok noir about a boxing club owner pressured by his mother to his avenge his brother's murder," according to the Globe And Mail.

The film is the actor's second collaboration with Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn; the two previously worked together in 2011's Drive. Drive won Winding Refn the prize for Best Director at the 2011 festival and Only God Forgives in currently in contention for the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest award given to the director of the best feature film.

English actress Kristin Scott Thomas plays the mother of Gosling's character Julian. Refn's production notes said he envisioned her being "a mix of Shakespeare's bloodiest female character and fashion designer Versace," according to French news channel France 24.

Even Gosling's co-star expressed an unease about the film's ultra violence.

"This kind of film is really not my thing," the actress told reporters after the screening. "Films where this kind of violence happens I don't enjoy watching."

Refn defended the film to his detractors, saying, "Art is an act of violence. Art is about penetration. Art is about speaking to our subconscious and our needs at different levels."

Gosling chose not to attend the festival and instead remained at work in Detroit attending to his directorial debut How To Catch a Monster. He presented a letter to the Cannes audience, read by the festival's director before the screening.

"Can't believe I'm not In Cannes," wrote Gosling. "I was hoping to come but I'm on week three shooting my film in Detroit. Miss you all. Nicolas, my friend, we really are the same person in different dimensions. I'm sending you good vibrations."

Refn expressed regret that the Gosling couldn't attend but said he understood the desire to continue on his production.

"I would never even do it if I was in his situation," said the director. "One thing is being an actor. When you're directing, it's another arena. But I speak to him every day on the phone. In a way, he is here."


Tags: ryan gosling Cannes Film Festival 2013