Cannes Film Festival - Tips under the radar

Movies to look forward to! Last month, our programmer Rob and head of marketing Suzanne were in Cannes for the prestigious film festival. They’re happy to give you some tips for titles that stayed relatively under the radar or didn’t win any awards, but are definitely worth watching.

Tips from Rob

Now that I’ve been back from Cannes for a solid week, I’ve had time to let the 45 films I saw there sink in. In the meantime, there’s been a lot of attention on the winners, with of course the Palme d’Or for Fjord being the biggest highlight. However, not all good films win major prizes in Cannes – a large part of them don’t even compete. That’s why it seemed good to me to already shine a spotlight on two titles that stood out for me, but are still flying a bit under the radar (although I can’t help but say that my top favorite is the much-praised Soudain by Ryusuke Hamaguchi).

First of all, L’Inconnue by Arthur Harrari, for me one of the best films in the main competition. It wasn’t really a surprise that it didn’t win anything, because if there was a title in the lineup that was an acquired taste, it was this one. The story is about a man who, after having sex with a woman (Léa Seydoux), suddenly ends up in her body while she goes off with his. His attempts to explain this mysterious event while trying to deal with a body that feels strange to him are central, but don’t expect too many answers. L’Inconnue is mainly a feeling, that of total alienation in the style of master Michelangelo Antonioni. Be open to the mystery and the slow pace, and you’ll get a unique experience in return.

My second tip, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, is almost the opposite, because this British film is very direct. From the opening scene, where the birthday of one of the main characters is celebrated, you become part of a close-knit group of friends. Against the backdrop of the current housing crisis, each of these friends goes through their own trials, and growing income differences even put their friendship under pressure. Although the film belongs to a rich, socially realistic tradition in British cinema, it still feels very fresh, if only because it radiates a lot of life energy and the characters and their relationships feel really real. Above all, it shows that Clio Barnard, known for The Arbor, The Selfish Giant, and Ali & Ava, is now a somewhat underrated champion of humanistic films.

Tips from Suzanne

I saw significantly less than Rob, but I was only in Cannes for a few days. What I enjoyed most was Club Kid, the wonderful feature film directing debut of comedian and filmmaker Jordan Firstman. The film follows a burnt-out New York party promoter who, amid all the parties, lines, pills, and ‘cocktails,’ is confronted with a son whose existence he didn’t know about. A film where there was lots of laughing, shouting, and crying, and that at half past eight in the morning. But anyway, definitely not a hidden gem because although Club Kid didn’t win any awards, it was a huge hit and the title everyone desperately tried to get tickets for during the festival. Plus, A24 grabbed the worldwide distribution rights during the festival for a mere 17 million dollars, so we’ll just have to wait and see if they’ll manage to screen it here in the Netherlands…

Furthermore, I can completely relate to Rob’s favorite Soudain by Hamaguchi; what a beautiful film that is! It’s a long watch, but you are definitely rewarded. In Soudain, I saw a warm plea for humanity, connection, contact, and celebrating differences; a very welcome message in the times we live in now. Also make sure to put The Beloved on your list, with Javier Bardem in what I consider one of his best (and scariest) roles.

But now for the hidden gems! Although I mainly saw the larger competition films, I still managed to catch a few titles from Un Certain Regard and Semaine de la Critique. Two tips, which will most likely also be seen in Focus this fall:

Everytime: maybe one of the most beautiful scenes I saw at this festival (aside from ‘that one scene’ in The Beloved – when you know you know) is in this dreamy drama by Austrian director Sandra Wollner. I can’t say too much about it, because spoilers, but it takes place around an apartment building. Everytime follows a grieving mother, her youngest daughter, and the ex-boyfriend of her eldest, deceased daughter, who are struggling with the huge sense of loss, guilt, and processing their grief. During a joint vacation to Tenerife, the present, past, and memories start blending more and more. In terms of mood, it reminded me of films like Aftersun and All of Us Strangers. Although in those films I felt the play between reality and imagination was a bit more balanced, Everytime is definitely worth watching. And sunsets will never be the same again…

The film didn’t exactly fly under the radar either, but it did win the top prize in the somewhat lesser-known ‘Un Certain Regard’ section of the festival. This award is seen as an important recognition for emerging and unconventional filmmakers outside the official competition.

Tin Castle: beautifully shot, sweet documentary about an Irish travellers family, living in a small mobile home on the edge of society. The fact that director Alexander Murphy followed the life of Paddy O’Reilly, his wife Lisa, and their ten (!) kids for no less than five years, becoming part of the family, shows in every detail. The result is an intimate portrait with both vulnerable and everyday moments, never feeling sentimental. By the time the credits roll, you’ve undoubtedly grown fond of the family (and are wondering how on earth they fit all ten kids to sleep…)