The biggest hits to come out of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and the ones our reviewers doffed their critics’ caps to. Compiled by Screen’s executive editor, reviews and new talent Fionnuala Halligan.
Screen’s critics have also picked 15 potential breakout titles from outside the main Competition here.
Competition
Anatomy Of A Fall
Dir: Justine Triet
Our critic said: “Featuring a compelling central performance from Sandra Hüller, Anatomy Of A Fall takes a while to engage, but turns into a twisty, thought-provoking drama.”
International sales: mk2 films
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The Zone Of Interest
Dir: Jonathan Glazer
Our critic said: “A challenging rather than conventionally provocative film but, by any measure, essential viewing and a work that will be a vital focus of discussion both in the cinephile world and beyond.”
International sales: A24
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The Pot-Au-Feu
Dir: Tran Anh Hung
Our critic said: “The Pot-Au-Feu simmers thanks to the tender rapport between Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel, who play (respectively) a cook and a gourmet whose devotion to their craft is matched by their adoration for one another.“
International sales: Gaumont
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May December
Dir: Todd Haynes
Our critic said: “This offers a terrific pairing of two performers on great form – Natalie Portman and long-term Haynes lead Julianne Moore, engaged in brisk mirror play.”
International sales: Rocket Science
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Fallen Leaves
Dir: Aki Kaurismäki
Our critic said: “Fallen Leaves may not set the film world on fire, but is guaranteed to cast a warm glow.”
International sales: The Match Factory
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Four Daughters
Dir: Kaouther Ben Hania
Our critic said: “Perhaps unexpectedly, this bold and confrontational hybrid documentary is also joyous, playful and in some ways even empowering.”
International sales: The Party Sales
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Out Of Competition
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Our critic said: “Lifting his camera to survey the wide open plains of the past, Scorsese extracts an epic Western from horrible real-life crimes committed against the Native American Osage tribe of, latterly, Oklahoma, delivering something biblical, human, yet deeply inhumane.”
Worldwide distribution: Apple/Paramount
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Un Certain Regard
How To Have Sex
Dir: Molly Manning Walker
Our critic said: “The combination of Manning Walker’s witty, empathetic storytelling and a star-making performance from Mckenna Bruce should make this a highly sought-after title on the festival circuit and with theatrical audiences.”
International sales: MK2 Films
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The Delinquents
Dir: Rodrigo Moreno
Our critic said: “Despite a fairly familiar crime thriller setup, this playful, effortlessly engrossing picture takes a series of deliciously confounding turns.”
International sales: Magnolia Pictures
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Directors’ Fortnight
The Book Of Solutions
Dir: Michel Gondry
Our critic said: “A welcome return this cinematic maverick, who has been missing in action for far too long, and perhaps contains a few clues about what Gondry has been for the last eight years.”
International sales: Kinology
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Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell
Dir: Pham Thien An
Our critic said: “A remarkable debut feature; provocative, absorbing and mysterious.”
International sales: Cercamon
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The Goldman Case
Dir: Cedric Kahn
Our critic said: “Fast-fire dialogue and exceptional acting, the type of writing and performances that can carry a film set in an ugly brown box, should see this courtroom drama into further festival and specialised play.”
International sales: Charades
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