
Refn Recounts 25-Minute Death and a Second Chance at Cannes
Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn broke down at Cannes while discussing his near-death experience: he was told he had died for about 25 minutes due to a leaking heart, underwent emergency surgery two weeks later, and joked that a surgeon like Tom Cruise could “fix me with his hands” and revive me with electricity. He said the life-altering event gave him a renewed purpose and a chance to start over as his new film Her Private Hell premiered at Cannes to a seven-minute ovation, marking his return to feature directing after a decade.













