‘The Second Act’ Review: Léa Seydoux and Louis Garrel Question Their Choices in Slight, Self-Aware Cannes Opener

In France, the concept of irony is referred to as “deuxième degré” (second degree), where the “premier degré” is the literal or surface meaning, which can be twisted as audiences read an entirely different, often contrary meaning into the material. But the game doesn’t necessarily stop there. There is also “troisième degré,” “quatrième degré” and so on, as deep as you want to go. For absurdist trickster Quentin Dupieux (whose films “Deerskin” and “Rubber” have found a cult following), “The …