At Cannes with Nicole, Arnold, and Harvey Pekar?

Nicole Kidman is here. Arnold Schwarzenegger is here. Keanu Reeves and Penelope Cruz are here.

You might not know it, but Harvey Pekar is here, too. And in his own low-profile way, he's as noteworthy as they are.

For years he's been the writer and main character of underground comic strips enjoyed by connoisseurs of the genre. This hasn't made him rich or famous - he worked as a full-time file clerk until retiring recently, for reasons of health and age. But it's earned the respect of commix masters like R. Crumb and Alan Moore, two of the celebrated artists who've illustrated his stories.

It also drew the attention of two directors who thought "American Splendor," his series of autobiographical comic books, would make a terrific movie.

They went ahead and made it, casting Paul Giamatti as Mr. Pekar, who also appears in the picture as himself.

This explains why Pekar, a quintessential common man without a glitzy bone in his body, is spending this week at the world's most glitz-crazy film festival.

"It's kinda nerve-racking," he said over an orange juice on the sun-drenched terrace of the Grand Hotel, where the movie's producer (HBO Films) was ushering him through a round of interviews he agreed to do as part of the picture's promotion.

"All the luxury here," he continued in his mumbling but convivial voice, "it seems kinda immoral, you know? The giant yachts and stuff like that. I feel kind of weird and out of place in a wealthy resort environment like this.... I guess I have holdover class feelings."

In fact, Pekar, who's expected to make the rounds at the parties, had to borrow his tuxedo "off a guy who lives a few blocks from me in my [Cleveland] neighborhood." He adds, "HBO bought me a suit. They've been very nice to me."

I talked with Pekar as the festival was approaching its midpoint, and in ways it was the most enjoyable conversation I'd had since I arrived. Mostly it was the pleasure of hearing someone tell it like it is. I've never thought of Cannes as "kinda nerve-racking" before. But when you look at this annual movie pilgrimage through the eyes of an exemplary outsider who's devoted his life to low-key cultural commentary, you start to suspect that "weird and out of place" is a very appropriate way to feel.

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So who did show up? So far, 2003 hasn't proven a particularly high-flying year for the global film community. Many predicted smaller attendance at Cannes than usual, citing fears about SARS and tensions between the US and France over the Iraq war.

Unofficial estimates do suggest that the international star-gazers strolling down the seaside Croisette are less numerous than usual. But plenty of celebrities did show up, including actress Meg Ryan and director Steven Soderbergh, members of the jury that will hand out prizes Sunday night.

"Nobody said anything to me about not coming," said Mr. Soderbergh at the jury's opening-day press conference, implying that fears of American absenteeism were greatly exaggerated.

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"Quiet" has been the headline for this year's festival. There's been little buzz about newly formed studios, trends in style or subject matter, or quantum leaps in production by rising film industries.

That said, Cannes continues to exert strong influence on movie exhibition around the world.

The growing prominence of documentaries is a case in point. Last year's Cannes lineup included the first nonfiction film to make the official competition in decades. That sounds like an esoteric fact until you realize the title was "Bowling for Columbine," and its special prize was the first step in a success story that includes worldwide grosses of more than $44 million to date.

Several documentaries are being shown out of competition, including "The Soul of a Man," a portrait of three blues singers by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Documentary buffs are especially excited about "The Fog of War," about Robert McNamara, Defense secretary during the Vietnam War. It was directed by Errol Morris, who may parlay Cannes success into a bigger box office than he achieved with "The Thin Blue Line" and "Fast, Cheap & Out of Control."

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