There were a lot of old masters this year in Competition and Out of
Competition, and aside from a few exceptions, their output was
disappointing. No one is saying there should be an age limit, or
failing to understand that their presence in Cannes is important for the
festival’s profile. However, some inclusions should not have made it
into Competition, slots which could have gone to less obvious choices or
to more female voices, as 4 out of 22 titles this year feels like
another letdown.
Whether it’s Francis Ford Coppola’s hubristic folly Megalopolis; Kevin Costner’s patience-testing Horizon: An American Saga; David Cronenberg’s continued downfall trajectory with The Shrouds; Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada (a significant step down from his trilogy of dramas about male redemption – First Reformed, The Card Counter and Master Gardener); or even Jia Zhangke’s Caught By The Tides
(a fascinating film which nonetheless feels like it requires homework
if you’re not familiar with the Chinese director’s oeuvre), this year
showed that just because you’re a festival mainstay and have directed
classics, it does not mean that your newest project is automatically
deserving of praise or a pass because of past triumphs.
Maybe the Cannes Film Festival can set up a special sidebar? Then everyone’s happy.
Yórgos Lánthimos was back in festivals, just one year after his Venice Golden Lion and Oscar-winning Poor Things. And his newest, Kinds of Kindness,
won yet another prize (Best Actor for Jesse Plemons), meaning that film
festivals just can’t resist the charms of the Master of the Greek Weird
Wave.
Every film he has submitted to either Cannes or Venice has won a prize: Dogtooth (Un Certain Regard Palme – 2009); Alps (Best Screenplay in Venice - 2011); The Lobster (Cannes Jury Prize – 2015); The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Cannes Best Screenplay – 2017); The Favourite (Grand Jury Prize in Venice - 2018); Poor Things (Gold Lion in Venice - 2023).
All
that’s missing is Best Actress and Best Director. And we wouldn’t put
it past him to nab those two in the next decade. Μπράβο, Yórgos.
And you, dear reader - get betting for the next time he's selected.
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