Screen International’s critics spotlight some of the stand-out films from this year’s Cannes Film Festival, from the prize winners in Official Selection, to under-the-radar titles in the sidebars.
Compiled by Fionnuala Halligan.
Competition
Case 137
Dir. Dominik Moll
Our critic said: “Lea Drucker gives a marvellous performance as a dedicated public servant determined to find the cops who gravely injured an innocent 20-year-old man.”
International sales: Charades
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Die, My Love
Dir. Lynne Ramsay
Our critic said: “Jennifer Lawrence is the match that lights Lynne Ramsay’s gripping, slow-burn fifth feature.”
International sales: 193
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It Was Just An Accident (Palme d’Or)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Our critic said: “An impassioned and forthright condemnation of the regime and of the men who do its bidding.”
International sales: mk2 Films
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The Little Sister (best actress, Nadia Melliti)
Dir. Hafsia Herzi
Our critic said: “In the central role, striking newcomer Nadia Melliti is a coolly subdued screen presence.”
International sales: mk2 Films
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Nouvelle Vague
Dir. Richard Linklater
Our critic said: “This affectionate homage to a slice of urban French cool that has rarely been equalled is also a nostalgic tribute to a time and place of extraordinary creative ferment and cinematic sex appeal.”
International sales: Goodfellas
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Romeria
Dir. Carla Simon
Our critic said: “Romeria demonstrates once again that Simon has a rare gift for capturing the unpredictable, mercurial beast that is the family.”
International sales: mk2 Films
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The Secret Agent (best director, best actor, Wagner Moura)
Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Our critic said: “A sweat-saturated riot of a movie: a dual-timeline thriller powered by the kind of anarchic, erratic energy that you would expect to find at the end of a two day bender.”
International sales: mk2 Films
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Sentimental Value (Grand Prix)
Dir. Joachim Trier
Our critic said: “Those seeking a smart, thoughtful tearjerker should be pleased with this sentimental but far-from-mawkish film.”
International sales: mk2 Films
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Sirat (Jury Prize)
Dir. Oliver Laxe
Our critic said: “Part adventure, part mystic-existential odyssey, it is the boldest enterprise to date from a film-maker who has a taste for grappling with the challenges of the real.”
International sales: The Match Factory
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Sound Of Falling (Jury Prize)
Dir. Mascha Schilinski
Our critic said: “A work of thrilling ambition realised by an assured directorial vision.”
International sales: mk2 Films
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Two Prosecutors
Dir. Sergei Loznitsa
Our critic said: “The closed-trap logic of Soviet justice under Stalin is demonstrated with characteristically chilly rigour in the first fiction film in seven years by the Ukrainian writer/director Loznitsa.”
International sales: Coproduction Office
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Un Certain Regard
Homebound
Dir. Neeraj Ghaywan
Our critic said: “Deeply empathetic and increasingly universal, Ghaywan’s sophomore effort isn’t particularly subtle, but that does little to dilute the film’s impact or detract from its message.”
International sales: Paradise City Sales
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My Father’s Shadow
Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.
Our critic said: “This terrific semi-autobiographical first feature is a thrillingly vital account of the moment when everything changes.”
International sales: The Match Factory
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Urchin
Dir. Harris Dickinson
Our critic said: “[Despite] the punishingly bleak premise, but there’s an unexpected levity and moments of arresting beauty to be found in this distinctive directorial debut from actor Harris Dickinson.”
International sales: Charades
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Cannes Premiere
Amrum
Dir. Fatih Akin
Our critic said: “A delicate, rather heartbreaking coming-of-age story set on the German Frisian island of Amrum in 1945.”
International sales: Beta Cinema
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Directors’ Fortnight
The President’s Cake (Camera d’Or)
Dir. Hasan Hadi
Our critic said: “Its winning central performances, increasingly moving story and ideas that are accessible to older children as well as adults should help The President’s Cake go down well with distributors and audiences.”
International sales: Films Boutique
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The Girl In The Snow
Dir. Louise Hemon
Our critic said: “The simmering tensions between a community’s traditional ways and a young woman’s newfangled notions lie at the heart of a slow-burning, beautifully-crafted period drama.”
International sales: Kinology
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Critics’ Week
Left-Handed Girl
Dir. Shih-ching Tsou
Our critic said: “Returning to her native Taiwan from her US home, regular Sean Baker collaborator Shih-Ching Tsou channels the colour and chaos of Taipei’s famous night markets into a tri-generational female story with a restless, messy appeal.”
International sales: Le Pacte
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A Useful Ghost
Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Our critic said: “If Yorgos Lanthimos relocated to Thailand his next film might look something this, a deadpan comedy-drama ghost romance about grief, reconnection, social barriers and the sins of one’s past.”
International sales: Best Friend Forever
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ACID
Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk
Dir. Sepideh Farsi
Our critic said: “This celebration of resilience was transformed into a poignant last testimony by the death of Gaza resident and documentary subject Fatma Hassona in an Israeli airstrike.”
International sales: Cercamon
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