Nick-Davis.com: Cannes Index
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Jurors: Alejandro González Iñrritu (president), Enki Bilal, Robin Campillo, Elle Fanning, Maimouna N'Diaye, Yorgos Lanthimos, Paweł Pawlikowski, Kelly Reichardt, Alice Rohrwacher
| Palme d'Or: | Parasite, South Korea, dir. Bong Joon-ho |
| Grand Jury Prize: | Atlantics, France/Senegal/Belgium, dir. Mati Diop |
| Jury Prize: | Bacurau, Brazil, dirs. Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles
Les Misérables, France, dir. Ladj Ly |
| Best Director: | Young Ahmed, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne |
| Best Actress: | Little Joe, Emily Beecham |
| Best Actor: | Pain & Glory, Antonio Banderas |
| Best Screenplay: | Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma |
| Special Jury Prize: | It Must Be Heaven, France/Qatar/Palestine/etc., dir. Elia Suleiman |
FIPRESCI/International
Critics Prize: | It Must Be Heaven, France/Qatar/Palestine/etc., dir. Elia Suleiman |
| Prize of the Ecumenical Jury: | A Hidden Life, USA/Germany, dir. Terrence Malick |
| Caméra d'Or (first feature): | Our Mothers, Guatemala/Belgium/France, dir. César Díaz |
 Competition Films I Have Seen:
Ranked in order of preference
My Palme d'Or
Atlantics (France/Senegal/Belgium, dir. Mati Diop) -
Talk about a ghost tropic. Solitude. Solidarity. Undertows. Salt. Knowledge. Mystery. Eyes. Ears. Flutters in the heart.
Parasite (South Korea, dir. Bong Joon-ho) -
Limns central class conflict with subtle interrogations of each side. Tight script, until coda. Snazzy design. Ace cast.
The Wild Goose Lake (China/France, dir. Diao Yinan) -
Maybe not a mold-breaker, but so strong at movement, color, space, tension, rhythm, and taciturn character.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (France, dir. Céline Sciamma) -
Starts strong; only improves. Builds quite a bond between lovers, and between them and the audience.
Pain & Glory (Spain, dir. Pedro Almodóvar) -
Concentric circles of self-examination, with greatest insights in middle. Big ironic wallops at end. Banderas excels.
Les Misérables (France, dir. Lady Ly) -
Elects that urgent, tough themes merit or even demand blunt figures, familiar style, vague POV. Maybe! Maybe not.
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (USA, dir. Quentin Tarantino) -
Smart? Kinda dumb? The whole feels of a piece: dreamy and messy, complicated and crass, tender and off-putting.
The Whistlers (Romania/France/Germany, dir. Corneliu Porumboiu) -
Playful and crafty, like a deconstructed burger. I guess I prefer a whole burger, but still, compliments to the chef.
It Must Be Heaven (France/Qatar/Palestine/etc., dir. Elia Suleiman) -
Suleiman's vignettes have more whimsy than real insight, and he over-showcases himself. Still, tender and sweet.
A Hidden Life (USA/Germany, dir. Terrence Malick) -
As gorgeous as you would predict, but grandiose in ways its subject would dislike. Repetitious and overlong, too.
Frankie (USA/France/Portugal, dir. Ira Sachs) -
Simplicity sometimes serves it, but my primary impression is of half-articulated ideas. Some actors cut deeper than others.
The Dead Don't Die (USA, dir. Jim Jarmusch) -
Undeadpan, treated as an end in itself. Get on its wavelength and you still go nowhere. Only Elmes left alive.
Matthias & Maxime (Canada, dir. Xavier Dolan) -
Such poor directorial judgment, from pacing to music to handling of actors. Avoids depth where potential exists.
Little Joe (Austria, dir. Jessica Hausner) -
Hausner is a gratifyingly odd director, but almost every engine misfires here. Overlaid allegories in abrasive shambles.
 Sidebar Selections I Have Seen:
Ranked in order of preference
The Orphanage (Directors' Fortnight; Denmark/Germany/Afghanistan/Qatar/etc., dir. Shahrbanoo Sadat) -
Genre-blitzing director working at peak imagination, reconstructing a lost world with smiles, tears, and such craft.
Ghost Tropic (Directors' Fortnight; Belgium, dir. Bas Devos) -
Quietly magical city symphony; you hear music, but all the instruments are in their cases. A warm coat made of lace.
For Sama (Special Screenings; UK, dirs. Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts) -
Heartbreaking, nerve-fraying phenomenology of warfare as both a steady erosion and a series of horrifying, nearby blasts.
Fire Will Come (Un Certain Regard; Spain/France/Luxembourg, dir. Oliver Laxe) -
Story purposely elliptical, structure designed to frustrate. But what a potent sensory experience and mood piece.
Song without a Name (Directors' Fortnight; Peru/USA, dir. Melina León) -
Genuinely distinctive photography, especially for a historical exposé. Complex story handled told beautifully.
Liberté (Un Certain Regard; France/Portugal/Spain, dir. Albert Serra) -
At once explicit and enigmatic—hard to do. Stunningly lit. Intriguing ideas, albeit explored in a maximally obnoxious way.
Deerskin (Directors' Fortnight; France, dir. Quentin Dupieux) -
Dupieux retains very odd ideas of premise and arc, but this is a huge step up from Rubber...and a hoot! Dujardin is bliss.
Adam (Un Certain Regard; Morocco/France/Belgium, dir. Maryam Touzani) -
Script beats often familiar, sometimes verging on stock, but rich lensing and soulful cast, especially Azabal, elevate it all.
The Lighthouse (Directors' Fortnight; Canada/USA, dir. Robert Eggers) -
Sounds, images, actors in first half build compelling case. Steadily diminishes, backing itself into silly corners.
The Cordillera of Dreams (Special Screenings; France/Chile, dir. Patricio Guzmán) -
Less poetic or complex than Guzmán's last two docs, but still a movingly restless ode and elegy to Chile.
And Then We Danced (Directors' Fortnight; Georgia/Sweden/France, dir. Levan Akin) -
Too genre-obedient through the middle, but the start, the recalibrated end, and the strong camera elevate it.
Rocketman (Out of Competition; UK, dir. Dexter Fletcher) -
A colorful and energetic diversion but firmly mediocre as cinema or storytelling. Interesting nuances vanish in bombast.
Port Authority (Un Certain Regard; USA, dir. Danielle Lessovitz) -
Vivid camera. Bloom's character is promising, as is her milieu. Why crowd her out with a blank lead and stale story?
Our Mothers (Critics' Week; Guatemala/Belgium/France, dir. César Díaz) -
Good topic, moving setup, but neither the director nor his lead actor demonstrate the skills to fulfill such promise.
Abou Leila (Critics' Week; Algeria/France/Qatar, dir. Amin Sidi-Boumédiène) -
Complex interleaving of plotlines, perspectives, and irrealities but approaches them with too little agility or insight.
Films in the Main Competition:
Ranked in order of interest; more on this year's lineup here (opens in a new window)
Bacurau, Brazil, dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho & Juliano Dornelles
Sibyl, France/Belgium, dir. Justine Triet
The Traitor, Italy, dir. Marco Bellocchio
Sorry We Missed You, UK, dir. Ken Loach
Young Ahmed, Belgium/France, dirs. Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo, France, dir. Abdellatif Kechiche
Oh Mercy!, France, dir. Arnaud Desplechin
Sidebar Films I'm Curious to See:
Listed alphabetically; click names of sidebars for more titles (in a new window)
| Un Certain Regard: |
Beanpole, Russia, dir. Kantemir Balagov
A Brother's Love, Canada, dir. Monia Chokri
Bull, USA, dir. Annie Silverstein
The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão, Brazil, dir. Karim Aïnouz
Joan of Arc, France, dir. Bruno Dumont
Nina Wu, Taiwan, dir. Midi Z
On a Magical Night, France, dir. Christophe Honoré
Papicha, France, dir. Mounia Meddour
The Swallows of Kabul, France, dir. Zabou Breitman, Eléa Gobé Mévellec
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| Directors' Fortnight: |
Alice and the Mayor, France, dir. Nicolas Pariser
Dogs Don't Wear Pants, Finland, dir. J-P Valkeapää
An Easy Girl, France, dir. Rebecca Zlotowski
Give Me Liberty, USA, dir. Kirill Mikhanovsky
The Halt, Philippines/China, dir. Lav Diaz
Wounds, USA, dir. Babak Anvari
Zombi Child, France, dir. Bertrand Bonello
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| Critics' Week: |
I Lost My Body, France, dir. Jérémy Clapin
Land of Ashes, Costa Rica/Argentina/Chile/France, dir. Sofía Quirós Ubeda
Litigante, Colombia/France, dir. Franco Lolli
A White, White Day, Iceland/Denmark/Sweden, dir. Hlynur Pálmason
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| Out of Competition: |
Chicuarotes, Mexico, dir. Gael García Bernal
Forman vs. Forman, Czech Republic/France, dirs. Helena Tŕeštíková, Jakub Hejna
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil, South Korea, dir. Lee Won-tae
Lux Æterna, France, dir. Gaspar Noé
The Staggering Girl, Italy, dir. Luca Guadagnino
Tommaso, USA, dir. Abel Ferrara
Too Old to Die Young, USA, dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
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