CANNES, France 鈥 鈥淣othing is more beautiful than shadows,鈥 says the movie director played by Stellan Skarsg氓rd in 鈥淪entimental Value,鈥 the Norwegian film I believe is poised to win the Palme d鈥橭r as the 78th Cannes Film Festival draws to a close on Saturday. It received a 19-minute standing ovation at its world premiere Wednesday night.
After two weeks at what the Wall Street Journal calls the 鈥淪uper Bowl of international cinema,鈥 I know exactly what that director means. Here, films are beautiful shadows 鈥 flickering, ephemeral and alive 鈥 dancing across the big screen, each one casting its own spell.
The 22 contenders for the Palme and other prizes this year offered a bounty of cinematic chiaroscuro, crafted by filmmakers both seasoned and new.
Here are my 10 favourites from a memorable Cannes fest, ranked roughly in order of appreciation.
Sentimental Value
Renate Reinsve and Elle Fanning are like two sides of a golden coin in Joachim Trier鈥檚 tangled family drama, in which a celebrated filmmaker (Stellan Skarsg氓rd) tries to use his art to reconnect with the family he abandoned long ago. When his daughter (Reinsve), a stage actress, turns down a role in the film she deems too close for comfort, it鈥檚 taken up by an American star (Fanning), who doesn鈥檛 realize the doppelg盲nger dynamics she鈥檚 getting into. Fantastic performances across the board 鈥 especially by Reinsve and Fanning 鈥 and a keen sense of the meaning of the title make this film a bittersweet pleasure to watch. It鈥檚 also a grand reunion for Trier and Reinsve, who wowed Cannes with 鈥淭he Worst Person in the World鈥 in 2021.
厂颈谤芒迟
Oliver Laxe鈥檚 road movie is a jolting experience drawing inspiration from Henri-Georges Clouzot鈥檚 classic highway thriller 鈥淭he Wages of Fear鈥 鈥 but the volatile cargo is grief rather than nitroglycerine. Sergi L贸pez arouses curiosity and sympathy as Luis, a questing father adrift with his son and a ragtag band of hippies in the Moroccan desert, all searching for a missing daughter as the world teeters on the brink of calamity. Laxe鈥檚 film pulses with apocalyptic energy, spiritual longing and jump-from-your-seat plot turns. Everyone鈥檚 going to a rave tonight on Desolation Row.
It Was Just an Accident
Amazing what Jafar Panahi can wring out of the most basic event. The Iranian master turns a minor roadside mishap into a grand inquisition of culpability, retribution and the saving graces of humanity and humour, as torture victims confront an accused tormentor. What makes the film even more remarkable is that Panahi created it while dodging Iranian authorities who had imprisoned him and banned him from filmmaking for years. Shot in secret under constant threat, it draws on his own harrowing experiences, infusing every frame with urgency and authenticity.
The Secret Agent
The year is 1977, the place is Brazil under the shadow of an evil dictatorship, and the mood is one of paranoia and fear. In this surreal narrative, sharks real and metaphorical lurk beneath the surface and a zombified severed leg and two-headed cat add bizarre twists. No one can conjure a world quite like Kleber Mendon莽a Filho, where the boundaries between the real and the unreal blur seamlessly. Wagner Moura serves as our uneasy guide through this nightmare, capturing the tension and strangeness of the era. This film mixes political commentary with elements of horror and fantasy, creating a cinematic experience that spooks expectations.
Nouvelle Vague
The irony is Jean-Luc Godard, ever the iconoclast, would鈥檝e despised the conventional narrative and character fidelity of Richard Linklater鈥檚 鈥淏reathless鈥 homage. The film is great fun anyway, especially the holy trinity of Godard (Guillaume Marbeck nails him) and his main accomplices, Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) and Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch). It鈥檚 impossible to deny the infectious energy and playful spirit Linklater brings to the table, and the witty dialogue and cast鈥檚 chemistry keep things lively.
Sound of Falling
Mascha Schilinski鈥檚 second feature is a haunting exploration of trauma and memory, following the lives of four girls over a century on a German farm. The camera observes quietly, capturing the subtle interplay between past and present, where ghosts and the living coexist in the same space. Schilinski鈥檚 direction is intoxicating and unnerving, refusing easy explanations as it immerses viewers in a dreamlike atmosphere. The film鈥檚 evocative visuals and elliptical storytelling create a powerful meditation on how trauma reverberates through generations, leaving traces that linger in both place and people.
Die, My Love
Lynne Ramsay skilfully transforms a novel centred on maternal depression into a gripping and intense screen nail-biter, worthy of a booking at the Overlook Hotel multiplex. The film delves deeply into the complexities of motherhood, mental health and emotional turmoil. Jennifer Lawrence delivers a powerhouse performance as the embodiment of maternal rage, capturing the raw and unfiltered emotions of a mother pushed to her limits. Meanwhile, Robert Pattinson portrays the male response with a mix of mystification and terror, highlighting the gendered dynamics in the face of psychological crisis. Together, their performances linger in the mind like a scream in the night.
The Chronology of Water
Kristen Stewart鈥檚 directorial debut plunges madly into themes of trauma and rebirth. Shot in grainy, extreme close-ups and set to the rhythms of beat poetry, punk fury and jazz, the film creates a sensory overload that mirrors its subject鈥檚 inner turmoil. Imogen Poots is riveting as Lidia, a championship swimmer grappling with recovery from abuse, delivering a performance that is both raw and layered with meaning. Stewart鈥檚 direction is bold and unconventional, favouring a fragmented, collagelike style that prioritizes emotion and imagination over traditional narrative. With this film, Stewart decisively steps beyond her acting roots, announcing herself as a daring new voice in filmmaking.
Two Prosecutors
Idealism locks horns with autocracy during Stalin鈥檚 Soviet reign of terror, as a young lawyer (Aleksandr Kuznetsov) seeks justice for a wrongly imprisoned dissident. Sergei Loznitsa鈥檚 masterful adaptation of a novella by Georgy Demidov is impeccably photographed, staged and acted, and has a chilling resonance with modern times. The film鈥檚 meticulous attention to historical detail immerses viewers in an atmosphere of paranoia and fear, evoking the moral dilemmas faced by individuals under totalitarian rule. Loznitsa鈥檚 direction balances personal drama with broader political commentary, making this gut-wrenching tale easy to believe but hard to accept.
Urchin
An affecting portrait of a square peg in a round hole, this directorial debut by Harris Dickinson 鈥 star of Cannes 鈥22 Palme d鈥橭r winner 鈥淭riangle of Sadness鈥 and the actor set to play John Lennon in an upcoming Beatles biopic 鈥 blends sympathy with biting satire. Dickinson crafts a pavement-to-employment quest centred on Mike (Frank Dillane), a street survivor whose attempts to lead a happy, stable life are met with constant setbacks and social obstacles. Through sharp observation and dark humour, the film explores the challenges faced by those struggling to fit into society鈥檚 rigid moulds, offering a poignant, compelling look at resilience and alienation.
Shout-outs to a few other faves: 鈥淎mrum,” 鈥淓agles of the Republic,鈥 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest,鈥 鈥淟ucky Lu,鈥 鈥淥rwell: 2 + 2 = 5,鈥 鈥淩esurrection鈥 and 鈥淪plitsville.鈥
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