Festival Circuit 2025

[Never Cursed]

Whenever I click on a LB user bragging of walking out, their favorite film is usually my favorite film from when I was fourteen—films that aren't bad, but films that are reflective enough of that individual for me to dismiss their flippant thoughts on the film, as if anti-intellectually bragging of walking out of what was always going to be an enigmatic film isn't reason enough.

Is this not just 95% of that website by volume? I assume most of those people have either paid their way in some capacity into the festival or are otherwise 18-30 3 Days in Cannes festivalgoers (which I'm not knocking, I was one of them, but some of the ones I met when I was there had that exact taste).

The highbrow grid Moiree doesn't seem impressed thus far, but they're generally parsimonious—I can see the seeming White Elephantness of the film turning them off.

This year they seem to be the outlier of the various grid aggregators, though, what with their hatred of the new Lynne Ramsey.

[thirtyframesasecond]

What does seem to be the Palme favourite this year now the screenings have happened?

[Finch]

Sirat went to Neon.

Exit 8, a video game adaptation, is getting pretty strong reviews and is, along with Secret Agent and Sentimental Value (plus the Reichardt), the Cannes title I'm most looking forward to. Hopefully it gets a US distributor sooner than later (but also, hopefully, not WellGo USA).

[Never Cursed]

Seems like the premiere of the new Dardennes movie went well

And it seems that most everyone liked The Mastermind; maybe Reichardt will finally get her due after all. It is kind of funny to see people praise it for being "laconic" and easy-to-understand after the lengthy exercise of Resurrection (in one of the worst reviews I've ever read, IndieWire's non-David-Ehrlich critic complained about Thierry Fremaux placing the film at the end of the festival and claimed in her review that as a consequence she wasn't able to meaningfully review it)

[Omensetter]

Is this not just 95% of that website by volume? I assume most of those people have either paid their way in some capacity into the festival or are otherwise 18-30 3 Days in Cannes festivalgoers (which I'm not knocking, I was one of them, but some of the ones I met when I was there had that exact taste).

Oh, yeah, I suppose it is. I'm guilty of not leaving my Letterboxd bubble. In my perhaps antiquated mind, I often forget that Cannes isn't attended by critics from Film Comment, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Herald Tribune, the French Dispatch, etc., and that it attracts a lot of Alex Billington's.

There's discontent online (and on the more dedicated Cannes forum) about NEON acquiring a lot of titles presumably in an attempt to win their sixth Palme. I don't see a problem so long as they weren't outbidding Janus/Sideshow, who are fine just having good movies. Sentimental Value will receive the supersized Oscar push, and I'm sure they will slot the Laxe, Filho, and Panahi sufficiently enough. I can't see Criterion releasing all four of those, but then that's the appeal of Janus these days: Their releases are (generally) outside of Oscar season, not cannibalizing each other, and then they receive a nice disc at the end. Because of them, I'll be able to finally see first-run Jia on a big screen. I can see Janus snagging some or all of Pálmason, Simón, Loznitsa, Bi, and Dardennes. (There has to be a bidding war over Linklater's Nouvelle Vague going on right now.)

These Dardennes reviews are definitely Dardennes reviews. Disdain for them has been nauseatingly trendy for the last decade. If there has been a dip in quality, and there's been a slight one, it has more to do with people getting used to them.

These reviews of the Reichardt are precisely what I wish. Of course, I'll have to see it myself, but it's receiving the best reception on the highbrow grid.

In terms of predicting the actual winners, I'll just stick with my pre-festival predictions, which have aged well with the exception of Wes Anderson at screenplay. The juries from the last two editions did genuinely opt for more well-received titles, but I don't think Binoche is as much a crowd-pleaser as Östlund and Gerwig. If you scroll through people predicting the awards online, they seem dead certain that it's Panahi vs. Mendonça Filho vs. Trier. Maybe it is, but nine individuals decide these, not grids and polls. Here's what I hope wins:

Palme: Kelly Reichardt, The Mastermind
Grand Prix: Bi Gan, Resurrection
Director: Jafar Panahi, A Simple Accident
Actor: Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Actress: Llúcia Garcia, Romería
Screenplay: Kleber Mendonça Filho, The Secret Agent
Jury: Mascha Schilinski, The Sound of Falling

Reichardt winning seems the perfect pushback to the showy, neon-lit crowdpleasers (that I enjoyed) of the last three years. It definitely seems like something that Hong would like, anyhow.

[Matt]

I often forget that Cannes isn't attended by critics from Film Comment

They don't do individual reviews, but Film Comment does do a fair amount of Cannes coverage.

[rrenault]

I wonder if The Sound of Falling is a dark horse Palme contender even though Secret Agent and Sentimental Value seem to be the 'official' favorites.

[Omensetter]

They don't do individual reviews, but Film Comment does do a fair amount of Cannes coverage.

They do! I think I'll always associate Film Comment with their print edition, though. But this coming from someone who owns every print edition of Film Comment save for two.

Schilinski's too green for the Palme. The film was well-received, and I hope it wins a prize, but what if Schilinski doesn't live up to it? I don't want the Palme to go to someone who could well end up being a one-hit wonder.

I'm fine if Panahi wins, and he he has honestly been the frontrunner since April, but I frankly don't think he's on the level of Altman and especially Antonioni in terms of directors who've won the Golden Palm, the Golden Lion, and the Golden Bear. No Bears felt like he was plagiarizing himself at times, and even a lot of his earlier work still feels indebted to Kiarostami, even if it's really good. (As an aside, Panahi is abysmally represented on blu-ray.)

By my count, there were twelve very well-received titles in Competition, which is more than half, and it doesn't include more genre fare like Ducournau and Aster who'll find their audiences outside the festival, and Wes Anderson, who's review-proof at this point, and whose best film (The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun) received similar dud reviews). It seems this is a great outing for Cannes after last year's shrug. It seems the only bombs were those called in advance from the likes of Martone and Saleh, and those could have been easily replaced by well-received films from Palmason and Petzold.

Rumors (from solid sources) are abounding regarding who's has returned from the closing ceremony, but I'm going to peace out from those and be pleasantly surprised during the closing ceremony.

[RSTooley]

To those who are interested, it looks like Kyle Buchanan has heard some intel regarding which films will be honored at the ceremony later today.

[rrenault]

Linklater winning the Palme for Nouvelle Vague would truly be a 'nothing is sacred anymore' moment.

My other is question is will we have a Palme winner that goes on to be a Best Picture nominee like 4 of the last 5 with two of them even winning? 2013-2018 was a six year drought of BP-nominted Palme winners.

From 1997-2012 the only Best Picture nominees were The Pianist, Tree of Life, and Amour.

This is slightly off topic, but was Drive My Car the first Janus-distributed Best Picture nominee even if we the include OG Janus first runs from the 50s and 60s? I'm excluding films Janus obtained the rights to later like Secrets & Lies and so forth.

[Omensetter]

Oh, the Dardennes are on the red carpet lol. They're with the young mothers of the film's title. Group wins are always dull to me. Hopefully they can claim their last prize with the Jury!

[Omensetter]

My other is question is will we have a Palme winner that goes on to be a Best Picture nominee like 4 of the last 5 with two of them even winning? 2013-2018 was a six year drought of BP-nominted Palme winners.

Joachim Trier seems inevitable with or without the Palme, but he showed up on the red carpet with the entire cast, so he has very very very good odds.

Bi Gan just arrived on the red carpet, as well.

(Drive My Car was so robbed in 2021.)

[Omensetter]

If NEON wins with a title that they had entering the festival, can they sell off all the other films they bought at a discount to Janus/Sideshow please.

[rrenault]

My other is question is will we have a Palme winner that goes on to be a Best Picture nominee like 4 of the last 5 with two of them even winning? 2013-2018 was a six year drought of BP-nominted Palme winners.

Joachim Trier seems inevitable with or without the Palme, but he showed up on the red carpet with the entire cast, so he has very very very good odds.

Bi Gan just arrived on the red carpet, as well.

(Drive My Car was so robbed in 2021.)

Perhaps, although it sounds like Secret Agent could be a bit too obtuse to resonate with the AMPAS crowd.

[Omensetter]

Jafar Panahi making his big return west to a French karaoke version of "Modern Love" let's do this.

[Omensetter]

There's going to be a tie somewhere—I'm thinking at Director or Grand Prix.

[Omensetter]

Spotted on red carpet: Herzi, Panahi, Loznitsa, Dardennes, Schilinski, Bi, Trier, KMF, & Laxe. So, probably two ties or at least one thankless made-up award.

[Omensetter]

American boomer lover Fremaux definitely mandated that the jury entered to "Born to Run".

[Omensetter]

If anyone wants to watch: https://www.tiktok.com/@brutofficiel/li ... _live_cell

[colinr0380]

Thanks Omensetter! I keep forgetting that we have to switch over to another channel for the show, and then back for the press conference after!

Binoche resplendent in red, white and blue!

[Omensetter]

Jury not knowing what to do with Bi Gan but not wanting to snub him. (He won a "special prize".)

[Omensetter]

In English: https://www.tiktok.com/@brutamerica/liv ... _live_cell

[colinr0380]

Happy birthday to John C. Reilly (but someone stop him singing La vie en rose, quickly!)

[colinr0380]

Best screenplay to the Dardennes.

[colinr0380]

Jury Prize to two films: 1st: Sirât by Oliver Laxe...