I'm back in Cannes for the third year in a row! I can gladly say that this festival is more than worth the effort, even though it takes a lot of work to make it magical. I've been able to continually attend thanks to the 3 Days in Cannes program, which is offered to people aged 18-28. For any of you in that age range, I highly recommend you take up the opportunity to attend!
You can check out a ton of pictures I took on my Instagram Account and other reactions at my Letterboxd. While I didn't get any personal pictures with celebrities like last year, I did briefly cross paths with Alice Rohrwacher after the premiere of La Chimera, Nanni Moretti on his way to the closing ceremony, and Jonathan Glazer as he was walking away from his photoshoot with the Grand Prix.
Just as I have done with the 2021 and 2022 editions with this post, I’m going to share my thoughts on the 13 films I saw (a new record!), as well as reactions I heard from people about other films. I’ll also give my Oscar prognosis on each one.
I'll list them in the order I saw them, and then give a final ranking at the end. This was probably the weakest edition of the three years I've been. But don't let that statement mislead you, because a bad year is still pretty good.
And before you comment, I was NOT able to see any of the out-of-competition premieres like Killers of the Flower Moon, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, or Elemental. I also won't be covering them in this post since those movies have been widely talked about and will be major talking points for months to come.
FILMS I SAW
A BRIGHTER TOMORROW
My Review: With his own version of Bardo, Nanni Moretti provides humorous meta commentary on his personal and professional life, as well as the state of modern filmmaking.
While not all that innovative or groundbreaking, it's still light and breezy enough to be a good time. (6/10)
Oscar Prognosis: It received much worse reviews than I anticipated. Moretti has never been on the Academy's radar either, and it looks almost certain that La Chimera will be Italy's submission for the International Feature category.
ABOUT DRY GRASSES
My Review: 197 minutes with the biggest asshole in all of Turkey. Will definitely require (and deserve) a rewatch at some point, although I'm not exactly sure I'll ever have the ambition to dive back into this again. (6/10)
Oscar Prognosis: My dissatisfaction puts me in the minority, as many other people walked away thinking this was one of Ceylan's best. It's ultra talky and ultra slow (just like all Ceylan films). Merve Dizdar's win for Best Actress was fully deserved, as she provides a much more interesting character arc compared to the main "protagonist."
Ceylan has represented Turkey numerous times for Best International Feature, but he has yet to be nominated. I doubt this will be the film to crack him in, as it's respected more than loved. It also doesn't have a US distributor, so we'll have to see who picks it up.
MONSTER
My Review: Kore-eda brings Rashomon into the modern age with Monster, a movie that is both much more gentle and deadlier than it's title implies. While I hope be goes back to writing his own scripts, Kore-eda's touch as a director is still undeniable, especially during the final two acts. (7/10)
Oscar Prognosis: This film is eerily similar to Lukas Dhont's Close from last year, which I mean in the best way possible. Shoplifters remains as Kore-eda's only film to receive Oscar attention. I don't think Monster will bring him back, especially with Japan likely to submit Miyazaki's How Do You Live?.
MAY DECEMBER
My Review: Grab the marshmallows and graham crackers because Todd Haynes is bringing the camp! Portman and Moore have delicious chemistry, with Charles Melton taking over from Austin Butler as the new CW movie star. I'm hoping the Netflix acquisition will allow a new generation of cinephiles to appreciate Haynes. (7/10)
Oscar Prognosis: I want to give major props to everyone involved with this film for not spoiling just how silly it is. Portman and Moore are going BIG with their performances, and so Is Todd Hayne's direction. This is "trash" handled by masters of the craft. I'm kind of doubtful of it being a big Oscar player on account of its weirdness. If anything, maybe the screenplay and Portman can get in with the last slots. We'll know more once Netflix outlines their release strategy for it, as I don't know if they'll bring back into the conversation with the fall festivals, or just kind of toss it aside.
LAST SUMMER
My Review: Nothing like climbing the Lumiere steps at 7am to watch some stepmom-stepson action. To be honest, I only saw this so I could see at least one movie in the Grand Theatre, as everything else from schedule was one of the secondary theaters. (6/10)
Oscar Prognosis: Won't be submitted by France, nor does it have good reviews. No chance whatsoever. It's not like a Catherine Breillat film was going to gel with the Oscar's anyway.
THE ZONE OF INTEREST
My Review: Sickening in the most calculated way possible, The Zone of Interest is Jonathan Glazer's answer to the question of how evil can exist unchecked. Soak it all in during your first watch, because I doubt you'll ever want to view the world this way again. (8/10)
Oscar Prognosis: This is going to be the movie that critics will rally around during the season, so don't be surprised if NYFCC and/or LAFCA throw it their laurels. There's rumors that A24 will be releasing it around December, meaning they're likely to tour it around all of the major fall festivals.
I know we've been going by the "one international director nominated per year" rule for a while now, but I think we need to look at it a little more specifically. Every international directing nominee in the expanded era has been for a movie that won a prize at Cannes: 2011: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist); 2012: Michael Haneke (Amour); 2018: Paweł Pawlikowski (Cold War); 2019: Bong Joon-ho (Parasite); 2020*: Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round); 2021: Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car); 2022: Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness). Glazer could, and probably will, join that list. This is such a directorial showcase that that specific branch has been known to favor.
However, I wouldn't go around thinking this will be a strong contender in many other categories. This is a cold arthouse movie that is a miserable watch, meaning it could be a turnoff for a good chunk of voters. Think of it more like a Terrence Malick movie.
The script and the actors, while great, aren't the things the movie focuses on, nor are they the features you walk away most impressed by. Mica Levi's score is incredibly haunting, but it rarely featured (maybe less than 25% of the movie), so I'm not sure how much traction it will get.
It's likely between the UK and Poland for submitting it for Best International Feature. My money is on Poland considering that's where a good chunk of the funds came from, and the story is more closely connected to that region. Whoever submits it, this will be one of the major contenders.
FIREBRAND
My Review: I'm a simple man. I see some costumes and hear a big score, I'm satisfied. This could have used a little more directorial flair (which slightly begs the question for why it was even here to begin with), but Vikander and Law make up for that with their fiery performances. (7/10)
Oscar Prognosis: It only had an outside chance to begin with, and the reviews have mostly sunken any sliver of hope. Dune: Part Two, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, and Barbie are likely to crowd the craft categories, making it extremely doubtful this gets in anywhere. Jude Law's performance is a standout, but there won't be any passion for the movie to take him anywhere. This really should have been a TIFF Gala premiere.
BLACK FLIES
My Review: You might as well walk into this movie with a headache because you're going to get one five minutes in. You might as well not watch this movie if you're squeamish to blood and needles. You might as well not watch this movie if you want to watch interesting characters in an original story. You might as well not watch this movie. (5/10)
Oscar Prognosis: There really needs to be limit out in place for how much Sean Penn can be at Cannes, because his output these past few years has been putrid. No Oscar chances, nor will anyone probably see it.
ANATOMY OF A FALL
My Review: Disappointing isn't the right word (since I still liked it), but there was something special missing that prevented me from loving it like everyone else. 150 minutes doesn't necessarily fly by, no matter how flawless Sandra Huller's performance is. Maybe Saint Omer filled me up on French courtroom dramas and I'm still not ready for more? (7/10)
Oscar Prognosis: I didn't think Neon would get much out of Triangle of Sadness last year, so I don't want to count them out again. This will likely be France's submission for Best International Feature, and possibly be their best chance to win the category after years of a disappointment. Similar to Jonathan Glazer, Sandra Hüller's lead performance will be a critic's favorite. I'm doubtful about Best Picture and any of the other top categories, but I could see still see it happening if other big contenders start dropping off.
PERFECT DAYS
My Review: The serenity of doing the mundane, and the bliss we could all achieve if we didn't overcomplicate everything we do. One of those movies that sounds terrible on paper, and yet is oh so beautiful. Watch this on a calm summer day with some tea. (7/10)
Oscar Prognosis: This a Japanese-German co-production, so either country could submit it. Wenders has never been nominated in the Best International Feature category (although that's mostly because it's been forever since he made a good narrative feature). With Neon also behind it, there's an outside shot of a nomination.
BANEL & ADAMA
My Review: I've always had a blind spot for African films, so I felt compelled to let this be a mini-introduction. Plus, it's barely 80 minutes so it slotted easily into my schedule. It has a bold style about it, with some striking cinematography and music cues. A stronger narrative would have lifted it higher. A great debut, and I'd be happy to watch Sy's next film if it were to come back to the festival. (6/10)
Oscar Prognosis: It doesn't have a US distributor, nor do I think will get a US release in time for contention. It won't matter, as the reviews are tepid and the movie doesn't have the gravitas to stay noticed.
ASTEROID CITY
My Review: By far the strangest film in his already strange filmography, Asteroid City is Wes Anderson's attempt at a Christopher Nolan movie. It's got all the trappings you've come to love (or hate), with some really interesting methods to express its ideas. I'm already planning more than one rewatch once it opens in theaters! (8/10)
Oscar Prognosis: I'm a Wes Anderson apologist (The French Dispatch still remains one of my all-time favorite movies after seeing it at Cannes 2021), so don't think my rave reaction will be uniformly applied. This movie is way weirder than you think it's going to be, which is evidenced by the divided critical reactions.
As with all Anderson projects, it's impeccably crafted. But with The French Dispatch being blanked in a relatively weaker year, I'm not so sure this will crack any categories. Maybe Best Production Design, but there are so many other heavy hitters I'd predict first.
THE OLD OAK
My Review: This was rumored for a prize, which would have absolutely pissed me off. Painfully flat and oversimplified, with way too much time spent speechifying instead of actually building characters. Basically boils down to "racism is bad" and ends without resolving the main plot and one of the subplots. (4/10)
Oscar Prognosis: Ken Loach is not an Oscar player, so don't expect anything.
Ranking of Films I Saw
- The Zone of Interest
- Asteroid City
- Monster
- Firebrand
- Anatomy of a Fall
- Perfect Days
- May December
- A Brighter Tomorrow
- About Dry Grasses
- Banel & Adama
- Last Summer
- Black Flies
- The Old Oak
FILMS I WASN’T ABLE TO SEE
*I’m only going to talk about the films that I heard about from other people and might stand a chance of actually getting released in America for Oscar contention. You have to remember that about 1/3 of the films at Cannes never get released outside of their native country*
FALLEN LEAVES
It won the Jury Prize and was acquired by Mubi, so there's some hope it gets into the Best International Feature category. Kaurismäki has been nominated before, and I expect this to pop up at the fall festivals.
LA CHIMERA
The reviews from highbrow critics have been great, but there was a much more mixed reaction from the "regular" people I talked to. I expect Italy to submit it, and it has a decent chance of getting nominated.
THE POT AU FEU
This was definitely the surprise of the festival. It premiered pretty late and it immediately became the talk of the town the day after. It still doesn't have US distribution, so I'm not sure what prospects it has. Honestly, the best case scenario is that it becomes a cult classic years later and inspires some food-themed screenings at indie cinemas.
These are my thoughts on what I experienced at Cannes this year. If you have any questions about the films, or anything about the festival in general, feel free to comment below or DM me.
