'Black Flies', the Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan film about emergency medical first responders, smacked the Cannes Film Festival in the face with a brutal world premiere.

Splattered brains, dead dogs, an addict giving birth with a needle dangling from her arm - these and a litany of other horrors confronted Penn and Sheridan, who play veteran and rookie paramedics, respectively, at the New York Fire Department, reports 'Variety'.

Interestingly enough, the black-tie screening at the Grand Palais enjoyed the dose of reality, giving the film a five-minute standing ovation.

"We carry the misery," a weary Penn tells Sheridan in the film of their chosen profession. That's an understatement, as chaos unfolds neighbourhood by neighbourhood in a portrait of an unforgiving city.

As per 'Variety', 'Black Flies' stars Sheridan as Ollie Cross, a young paramedic in New York City who is mentored by Penn's more-experienced EMT. The two are forced to face extreme violence during their shifts, from blood-soaked gunshot wounds to disturbing scenes of domestic violence and life-threatening pregnancies, forcing Ollie to confront his beliefs about life and death.

Legendary boxer Mike Tyson also stars in the film as Chief Burroughs, Sheridan and Penn's superior officer.