Cannes Film Festival: Charlize Theron and Sean Penn reunite for The Last Face screening in 'awkward' encounter

The film's scathing reviews included swipes from critics about the end of their relationship

Sean Penn and Charlize Theron embrace at Cannes (Getty Images)

Charlize Theron and Sean Penn were reunited at Cannes Film Festival on Friday to promote their on-screen collaboration, months after Theron was forced to deny ‘ghosting’ her ex-partner.

In an encounter magazines gleefully branded awkward, the pair appeared at the screening of The Last Face, a film he directed, she stars in and which premiered to a damning critical reception.

The pair split in June 2015 amid suggestions Theron had “ghosted” Penn by not answering his calls and disappearing from his life. Consequently, despite concerted efforts to downplay their split, all eyes were on them for the big reunion.

(Getty Images (Getty Images)

“I saw him yesterday! He's still editing,” Theron told GQ earlier this year. “But people want to create chaos with celebrities, as if [when] there's not drama around it, somehow it doesn't sell.

“You can't control what people say, but, at the end of the day, we made a film. We were in a relationship at the time. When this movie comes out, we're not in a relationship anymore. But we made a beautiful film and I can speak for him on this: we both care enough about each other to know we care about this movie together. Do I wish people would respect that and look at the film for what it is? Of course I do, but I know I'm not God and that's probably not going to happen.”

In The Last Face, Theron plays a doctor carrying out humanitarian work in conflict-torn west Africa who falls in love with a fellow aid worker.

The film was poorly received by the audience at Cannes and elicited boos as the credits began to roll. Reviews were even more scathing, with The Hollywood Reporter dismissing it as a “stunningly self-important but numbingly empty cocktail of romance and insulting refugee porn”.

Unfortunately for both, the reception also meant a few swipes were directed at their history together. Variety critic Guy Lodge tweeted: “Is it possible Charlize Theron saw a rough cut of The Last Face and *then* ended things with Sean Penn? I would.”

This was a suggestion echoed by The Guardian: "The Last Face stars Charlize Theron (his then-girlfriend who surely broke things off after she watched a rough cut)."

But Penn was unmoved by the criticism and insisted he stood by his fifth directorial work, telling a news conference: “I just finished the film, so it's not a discussion that I think I can be of any value to, I stand behind the film as it is and certainly everyone is going to be well entitled to their response.”