the story and the songs are by ron and russell mael of sparks, the art pop duo, which coincidentally is the subject of the sparks brothers, a new documentary by edgar wright. it is not until the film s second half that it really gets going. when baby annette start singing miraculously in ann s voice, a melodrama transforms into a macabre fairy tale, as dark and fantastical as the maels haunted fun house music deserves. annette is still not a triumph. for every moment that has you gasping at its magic and ambition, there is another moment which has you groaning at how pretentious it is. still, the film is a curio which is bound to attract a cult following of midnight movie aficionados and it deserves to be seen by everyone. after all, it s not often you get to watch an avant garde surreal rock musical on the big screen. 0n the other hand, you might end up thinking that once is just about often enough. the hollywood presence at cannes