A Cannes-Do Spirit
After two weeks of glittery red-carpet walks, dazzling film debuts, and exuberant standing ovations, we’re just one day away from finding out which of the 21 films competing at the Cannes Film Festival will take home the Palme d’Or.
I’m Rebecca Ford, and I’ve just returned from Cannes after 10 days at the festival, where I was able to get a good look at many of the films debuting there and talk to talent on the ground about their projects. The festival spirit was very much back in earnest, after Cannes was canceled two years ago and played in a more subdued form last year.
So what’s the takeaway? As my festival-going colleague Richard Lawson and I explore in this piece, there were many movies that were pretty good, but we don’t think this year has the Parasite or Drive My Car breakout that we were hoping for. Still, depending on how the next few months play out, we could see a few of these films—including Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis and James Gray’s Armageddon Time—make a go for an Oscar run. The films that pop out of Cannes are usually the slow-and-steady runners when it comes to the Academy Awards, gaining traction through word of mouth. I’ll be curious if either Park Chan-wook’s seductive Decision to Leave or Hirokazu Kore-eda’s gentle Broker can become a part of the conversation after very positive debuts at the fest.
Even the films that may be a stretch for the best-picture conversation had some memorable performances in them, and I was able to sit down with several of those performers during the festival. Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton spoke with me about the importance of storytelling in Three Thousand Years of Longing and in their own lives. Normal Peoplebreakout Paul Mescal revealed his plans to stay in the indie world, as he does with his two projects at the festival. And Triangle of Sadness star Woody Harrelson had, um, a lot to say about his frustrations with masks and other COVID precautions on set.
As for what might take home the Palme, it’s not the easiest award to predict since the jury is so different every year. And it doesn’t always, or even often, translate into a leg up in the Oscar race. For example, last year, the shocking and visceral Titane took the prize, but didn’t go on to make much of a dent in the Oscar race, while best-screenplay-winner Drive My Carbecame the Oscar darling. But over at Awards Insider, we’ll be sure to keep you updated on the Palme winner’s chances for more awards down the line after it’s announced on Saturday. And if you missed any of our Cannes coverage, be sure to check it out here.
Outside of the South of France, Emmy season continues to barrel toward voting in just a few weeks. My colleagues held down the fort on that front this week, with insightful conversations with Zosia Mamet, Desus and Mero, and Anthony Carrigan, among others. So there are plenty of great reads to dig into over this three-day weekend. Enjoy!
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