With the 62nd Cannes Film Festival now over I’m offering up my picks for the best of. This will cover the cinema that made the biggest impact on me while attending. These are the films and performances to put on your radar for seeing upcoming in 2009 and 2010. Overall between the festival lineup and Market screenings the only thing negative was that there simply wasn’t enough time to see everything. While some might say there wasn’t as good of programming this year, I think it was the complete opposite and there was so much good programming and content it was a race against the clock to see it all. Not to mention the incredible retrospectives that were available like a fully restored 2k digital presentation of the Sergio Leone classic Duck, You Sucker. It was an amazing year at Cannes for die hard and casual cinephiles.
Cinema is Dope: Best of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival
BEST MOVIE: Un Prophete/A Prophet
I’m burned out on gritty prison dramas where any number of prison stories and conventions that have seemingly been rehashed in cinema, television or cable over the past decades get told. The Shawshank Redemptions of this genre seem few and far between but when they work many like it do quite well in standing the test of time. So on a humid afternoon in Cannes, France, I walked into this much hyped film rather reluctantly and apprehensive that I’d already in effect seen this movie before. However, by the end of this movie I was lost in it. I was completely absorbed in its tale to such a degree I was right there witnessing the story of Malik (Tahar Rahim) unfold before my eyes as if it were really happening. I think the best movies pull this feet off in transporting you so much into their world that you escape within its confines and completely lose fact that you are in in the dark of a movie theater with strangers watching a movie. A Prophet stars Tahar Rahim (who sharp eyed cinephiles will remember as a cop in French horror movie Inside) in a break out performance. Here he plays new to prison 19 year old neophyte Malik who cannot read or write and must contend with the big ugly monsters that lurk within its walls and navigate the constant sway of rivalries and corruption where death is a commodity and just making it to the end of a day alive is a feet onto itself. Malik’s rise against impossible odds and giant obstacles set against very bleak subject matter with numerous surreal and powerhouse sequences made this my favorite movie of Cannes. This is a movie you feel each and every turn and to a large degree towards the end you can’t help feel on the edge of your seat as it continues to unfurl unpredictably.
RUNNER UP, BEST MOVIE: The Time That Remains
This autobiographical tale from writer/director Elia Suleiman on his father and himself in growing up as a Palestinian in Israel occupied Nazareth that spans from 1948 to the present day had to have been the biggest surprise by far for me at Cannes this year. Recent Middle East dramas for the most part or those that touch on its conflict always for me seem to heavy handed or skewed on one side rendering them largely off putting and disconnecting. The strength of The Time That Remains is that it focuses on wearing its heart on its sleeve and being more concerned about telling its story than in getting mired and lost in any political message. There is a charm and vitality at work here that regardless of where you stand on Middle East issues that you can more than relate to the story Elia Suleiman puts forth. As a human and family drama it stands as one of the best I’ve ever seen period. It’s that good. The non-conventional narrative style while seeming to be too disjointed early on as we skip around in characters lives through no real stopping points but leap from one period of time to another and/or moment, does ultimately ingratiate itself into a perfect symphony that once you get lost in its sway feels pitch perfect on how its story unfolds. The non-conventional narrative style beats to its own rhythm in using its own distinct voice of Elia Suleiman to tell the outside world its story void of cliche, insolence or ham fisted political statements. The story is told as a human drama first, family drama second and then humanity itself. Sure it does feature politics but when fused as part of the story instead of as its main driving force it makes it far more rich and compelling. Combine that with much of the political aspects of the movie shown in melancholic overtones with surreal Jacques Tati dark comedy coloring them. That duality in its approach and handling of the Middle East conflict subject matter makes its tale both rich and timeless as it feels like a movie that could move hearts and minds today and 200-300 years from now. Another interesting aspect of the movie is the role and point of view of Elia Suleiman himself in it. In certain parts he seems to be a lost spectator in his own life and merely standing on the sidelines watching things unfold but I think he has something else up his sleeve all together in showing the movie through a point of view of not only of his past but reflective of himself immersed in it. What I mean by that it seems we are experiencing the movie throughout its run time through the eyes of the present day Elia Suleiman and his present day self is the person that inhabits his own character as we witness his story. Typically when characters recount their past we experience them as they were then versus experiencing them with their present selves which gleam a looking back through the hands of time quality that elevates the movie past a run of the mill melodrama yarn. I was really impressed by that touch and overall this is one powerful movie that is deeply affecting, moving and as sad as it is funny. Bravo!
FUNNEST MOVIE: Town Called Panic
Remember the cowboy and Indian toys you might have played with in youth? The plastic kind with two legs that were melted into a small stand underneath them that you could move them around as if they had a giant piece of wood stuck under them. If you had or played with them you might recount all sorts of fantasy and games you experienced in playing with them by yourself or others. Never in your wildest imagination though would you expect here in 2009 these very same toys spring to life in a stop motion sugar rush of a movie for the ages that packs more jolt and high octane energy than most contemporary animated movies combined. I really felt walking into this that at the 20 minute mark it would begin to retread itself and really fall apart. It seemed like a great idea that would work in 10-15 minute stretches but not as a feature length effort. I can say having seen it that throughout its run time it has energy and creativity to spare as if it could have been 4 hours and never missed a beat or been dull for a single solitary moment. 80 minutes of pure insanity that leaves you wanting more. 80 minutes that will turn you into a kid all over again and on such a youth like dreamy high. Fantasy and insanity for all ages to enjoy.
Honorable Mention:
Thirst (read review) – Leave it to a strong Cannes lineup to place this quiet masterpiece one among many. While I preferred the other two films over this one this still ranks up there as another great entry into Park’s cannon of movies, which comes at a time when many seem to have written him off entirely.
Enter the Void – The boldest and most visionary film I saw at Cannes was unfortunately mired in a second act that repeats itself for an hour of run time. Outside of that it’s jarring, mind blowing and a cinematic trip like no others. Let’s hope the theatrical cut takes out the duplicity of its second act. Either way this is the most intense movie experience you will have with its all out assault on every part of your brain, heart, being and consciousness.
Antichrist – A dark quasi religious tale told in the form of a French New Wave prose and lush visuals and a tongue and cheek Lars von Trier at the helm. It’s a scintillating cocktail to be sure and sure to be the most talked of 2009. As of this post there are still some shocking moments of this movie that have yet to be spoiled.
La Famille Wolberg – A father and daughter movie to the core that breaks your heart. While being compared to other Wes Anderson films, which I think is an odd comparison for the most part, this movie culminates perfectly and makes the emotional investment you have made into it well worth the wait. Hands down one of the best movie endings you will experience in 2009.
Polytechnique – I’m rather reluctant to watch school rampage movies as they tend to come with a strong bitter taste and leave you rather puzzled as to why they were even made in the first place. With this movie it carefully through stark and poetic black and white photography takes you through the depths of hell and back, all the while putting a face on evil and a face on good and hope. At times hard to watch, it leaves a beautiful memorial to a dark event and will be thought provoking far after its final credits roll.
***
Best Director: Jacques Audiard for A Prophet
Best Cinematography: Benoit Debie for Enter the Void
Best Actor: Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds
Best Actress: Kim Ok-bin for Thirst
Best Ending: Movie Theater Showdown in Inglorious Basterds
Best Promo Reel: REC 2 (Suspiros Version). Having seen the promo reel for La Horde (Die Hard 1 meets zombie apocalypse) and others, I wasn’t really expecting too much other than another clever and perhaps all too slight glimpse into this sequel. Instead what I got was the most high octane, frightening and pulse pounding trailer I saw during the entire Cannes experience. While others are looking at other horror entries this year to stand out as the strongest by the time this trailer gets out and later the movie itself, REC 2 could very well be the strongest and most exciting movie anyone catches in movie theaters this year.
Movie to Most Look Forward to in 2010: Of the 30-40+ promo reels I saw there were none more amazing than the one for the Paul Dano vehicle The Exit Man (movie wallpaper).
Best Weapon: A female character in the Spain/Mexico co-production Just Walking builds a bicycle from scratch, which at the time it happens in the movie seems highly bizarre and head scratching. What we don’t know is they have made a bicycle that when it needs to can be transformed into a heavy duty machine gun. Non-festival Market entry.
