The best and worst films of the Cannes Film Festival 2024 and the most likely to compete for the Oscars

David, what do you think of this year’s festival? This was your first time there, and I’d hate for it to be a disappointment. Was the Cannes festival atmosphere broken? Or did you find enough to celebrate?

David Canfield: Sure, we had a rough patch at first – you probably know better than I do why so much competition lineup detritus is piled up at the front of the calendar, while most festivals do the opposite – but I will admit I was intrigued by the whole project, uneven as it was. Rare is the week you graduate several Movies wondering what the hell you just watched. This has happened to me on consecutive days with… Major cities And Emilia PerezAnd it’s fitting that my opinions on them couldn’t be further apart. (Let’s just say you and I agree.)

This was a festival of huge twists and turns, as esteemed filmmakers stepped far outside their comfort zones. The results weren’t always successful, or even always acceptable, but they spoke to the pulse of filmmaking in a way that I found satisfying, as so much doom continues to swirl around Hollywood. This applies to actors as well: Ben Whishaw (in Limonov: the story), Demi Moore (In a state of body horror Subject), And both Sebastian Stan And Jeremy Strong (the Apprentice) In particular, they put me out of work in a massive way beyond anything they’ve ever done before.

This was certainly not the year we got the likes of him Anatomy of falls, area of ​​interestAnd May December All in the same competition. I’m keeping my glass half full, though, and as the first time I’ve had (increasingly!) great weather, I’ve had great conversations overlooking the Croisette with the likes of Kevin Costner And Selena Gomez, And I made some real discoveries of directors and performers who weren’t on my radar (On becoming a guinea fowl It certainly made me a lifelong Rungano Nyoni fan.) As someone whose relationship with Cannes, until now, has been based on observing films that continued the conversation behind I’m actually shamelessly trying to piece together some Cannes to Oscars narratives.

We have to start Anura There, isn’t it? This is the fifth consecutive Palme d’Or winner to be supported in the United States by independent distributor Neon, and several of those previous films (parasite, anatomy) achieved great success at the awards. Sean Baker’s beloved independent status and Mickey MadisonThe revealing breakout performance alone made me feel like we would add this to the club. Am I too optimistic?

Richard: One of the joys of spending time with you at Cannes this year, David, is your enthusiasm. Where you find it really credible Anura Awards campaign, I see something a little uncertain. certainly, Willem Dafoe He received a supporting actor nomination for Florida Project– This means that Becker’s films have an Oscar-winning track record – but this is Willem Dafoe! He was in a much sweeter movie, so perhaps he’s more accessible Anura. There’s certainly spirit there, and in Madison’s deft performance – but could comedy be too crude and too outlandish for the Academy? Maybe the film’s dramatic final scene, which I won’t spoil here, will convince voters of that Anura It’s more than just a seedy tour of Brooklyn’s outer edges. But I think it will be a steep hill to climb.