Víctor Erice's return will make you believe in miracles

by Cláudio Alves

Miracles haven't existed in movies since Dreyer.

So says a gruff film editor to his aged director friend in Víctor Erice's first feature in three decades, a work brilliant enough to make a lie of that line. Well, it was miraculous to me, though there must be some dissenters out there. Folks like Thierry Frémaux who infamously conned Erice into opening the flick at Cannes under the assumption it would play in competition. Only, Close Your Eyes didn't get to vie for the Palme d'Or, getting shafted into the newborn Premiere section. At this point, that farrago must be water under the bridge, though one presumes a big Cannes victory would have helped Close Your Eyes get to theaters sooner. For American audiences, it only now made it to screens, enjoying a limited release courtesy of Film Movement…

Click to read more ...

Cannes Diary: "Limonov: The Ballad"

by Elisa Giudici

LIMONOV - THE BALLAD © Cannes Film Festival

A final surprise, though not a good one. With the exception of a fully committed star turn by Ben Whishaw, I would never have thought I'd use the adjectives "timid" and "indecisive" to describe Liminov: The Ballad on my Cannes festival bingo card. Not when the film is  helmed by someone as bold in his views and choices as Kirill Serebrennikov. Yet here we are...

Click to read more ...

Cannes Diary: Palme d'Or winner "Anora"

by Elisa Giudici

Sean Baker takes the Palme d'Or for "Anora" © Sameer Al Doumy / AFP

“I've been working towards this goal for thirty years.” So says Sean Baker as he leaps from his seat in the Lumière theater upon hearing the announcement of his Palme d’Or victory. He thanks Francis Ford Coppola and David Cronenberg, dedicates his film to sex workers, and champions indie cinema meant to be experienced in theaters -- the best experience, he says, “despite what some tech multinationals want us to believe.”

He knows his life as a filmmaker is about to change. The victory of Anora is the culmination of a long journey for a filmmaker who has merged a vibrant, funny, commercial approach with serious themes and auteur rigor. From his speech—one of the best ever delivered by a Palme winner—it’s clear that he is a great storyteller first and foremost...

Click to read more ...

Cannes Diary: Guy Maddin's "Rumors" and Jia Zhangke's "Caught by the Tides"

by Elisa Giudici

Cannes is over but we continue with a few more reviews! Here are my takes on two disappointing new features from famous auteurs.

RUMORS by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
The G7 leaders gather for their annual meeting, but a mysterious fog envelops the garden where they are dining, leaving them alone with strange creatures inhabiting the surrounding forest. They must navigate the forest in search of answers while drafting the resolution of a meeting that never truly began...

Click to read more ...

Cannes Winners 77th Edition, 2024: Palm Dog and all!

by Nathaniel R

Jesse Plemons (center) won Best Actor for Yorgos Lanthimos' KINDS OF KINDNESS © Searchlight

It's that time of year again. Cannes has wrapped and we can survey and begin to seek out all sorts of international films that have newfound cache. Some will rise as international hits and awards contenders, others will vanish except perhaps in the memories of those lucky enough to have seen their prize-winning festival bows. After the jump all the prizes and a few tidbits about the movies that took the Queer Palm, Palm Dog, and Camera D'Or...

Click to read more ...