The Cannes Film Festival is one of those events in a calendar year that has everyone hooked on it from day one. The 71st edition was hailed by some as an ‘off’ year as the luster was sort of missing from the festival. However, the 72nd edition has made sure that things fell into the right place, and the glory and legacy were regained. Legendary auteurs of the film industry from all parts of the world presented movies that had hit the headlines big-time, and it doesn’t need to be mentioned that the attendees were spoilt for choice.
Below are some of the best of the fest you need to keep an eye out for as they hit the silver screen in 2020.
Deerskin
Deerskin might not be a competition for big films as far as the Official Selection is concerned. However, it doesn’t fail to catch the eye. The French comedy had Quentin Dupieux at the helm. Jean Dujardin, a French actor and humorist, delivers a stellar performance as the central character, Georges.
Deerskin, in its running time of 80 minutes, tells the story of a man’s search to make his jacket the only one of its kind in the whole world. The way Georges tirelessly goes on to admire himself every time he catches sight of his and his deerskin jacket’s reflection can leave you rolling in the aisles. The other members of the cast are Adele Haenel, Albert Delpy, Pierre Gomme, Laurent Nicolas, and Coralie Russier.
A Hidden Life
Franz Jagerstatter, a peasant farmer born and brought up in the St. Radegund, Austria, earns his livelihood by working his land. Along with his wife, Franziska and three daughters, he lives a simple life. Soon, war breaks out, and Franz is called to receive basic training. He was sent back after a few days as the war was drawing to a close. However, he was again called up to fight and the first thing he needed to do was to take a Hitler Oath and show his allegiance to the German dictator.
Despite his neighbors pleading him to do it, Jagerstatter refuses. He was pretty well aware of the fact that this might lead to his execution, but Franziska’s love and support helped him stay strong. Terrence Malick’s work is gorgeous and August Diehl was brilliant in his portrayal of Jagerstatter.
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire
The French historical drama from the stable of Celine Sciamma was chosen to compete for the highly prestigious Palme d’Or at the 72nd edition of the film festival. It was probably the first film with a woman director at the helm to have grabbed the Queer Palm. The film doesn’t bring around a revolution in the world of filmmaking, but one has to agree that the details and execution have been completely out of the world.
Marianne, portrayed by Noemie Merlant, is appointed to paint Heloise’s portrayed. The only rule that Marianne had to follow was that the portrait has to be made without Heloise being aware of it. She comes to know that Heloise (played by Adele Haenel) had never sat for a portrait before and accompanies her everywhere to memorize her features. The rest of the storyline is more intriguing than you can even think of and you need to catch it at the theaters. The entire cast, comprising women, just nailed it. Every minute detail has been taken care of Sciamma and that’s probably why the quality has been unparalleled.
Parasite
The Bong Joon-ho thriller has stood out as the best film to have been played at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. The Parasite is so perfectly crafted and overwhelming that you can’t afford to skip even a single second. The film paints a picture throughout its running time and sticks on to you for a long time after you are done seeing it. A poor family gets entangled with a rich one and consequently, the effects are disastrous. In the due course of time, you will experience that their entanglement has gradually become a complicated one, which ultimately leads to tragedy. This masterpiece is bound to grow on you.
These were the four best movies that were screened at the fest in 2019. Film buffs are eagerly waiting for the moment when these films will be hitting the theaters one by one in 2020.