Best Of Cannes 2021: 15 Must-See Movies From The Festival

July 19, 2021 5:11 pm

159

“The Souvenir Part II”
One of the most anticipated titles of the fest for many folks, everyone at Cannes seemed to be utterly blown away by Joanna Hogg’s searingly autobiographical “The Souvenir Part II.” Picking things up where the first film left off, Julie (Honor Swinton-Byrne) left feelings partly broken following the fallout of her cruel relationship with Anthony (Tom Burke), now left alone facing an unknown future of creation. Grappling with psychological grief, Hogg’s incredibly personal passion project is “a meta epic of delicate proportions that constantly folds into itself and reveals the murky waters that border fiction and the reality that inspires it, sometimes, like in this case, more directly than others.” – Review by Carlos Aguilar [A+]

“Titane”
The Cronenberg-esque film everyone is talking about thanks to Cannes Jury President Spike Lee’s adorable excitability (has he called up Warren Beatty to grab lunch yet?), Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner “Titane” will no doubt attempt to cash in on NEON’s recent success and follow in “Parasite’s” footsteps. A successor to her controversial cannibal debut film “Raw” (which will surely see a surge in Letterboxd logs for the foreseeable future), “Titane” isn’t an easy movie to describe. Still, we can try: “roughly seven horror movies plus one bizarrely tender parent-child romance soldered into one machine and painted all over with flames: it’s [a film] so replete with startling ideas, suggestive ellipses, transgressive reversals and preposterous propositions that it ought to be a godforsaken mess,” but it isn’t. Let me guess; you’re already googling the release date? Review by Jessica Kiang [A-]

“The Velvet Underground”
While many are likely content watching documentaries from the comfort of their own home in these crazy COVID times, Todd Haynes` “The Velvet Underground” documentary should be seen in a theater with loud sound speakers by all ‘VU’ fans. Eschewing the typical conversation surrounding the legendary band that defined a movement/era, Haynes doc mainly focuses on the creative relationship between Lou Reed and John Cale, also exploring the impact of figures such as Andy Warhol and Nico on the group. Crafting “a definitive portrait in its own idiosyncratic manner, [the documentary] won’t be for all audiences; it’s often as cacophonous and anarchic as the band and Warhol’s factory creativity (no clue what normies watching AppleTV+ are going to make of it), but it’s a fitting, perfect encapsulation of that thrilling era in cross-pollinating, boundary-breaking art, performance, and music.” Review by Rodrigo Perez [A]

“Where is Anne Frank”
Originally planned as a stop motion project before a more Disney-esque 2D style formed out of its creative energy, director Ari Folman’s “Where Is Anne Frank” is as powerful and expressive as his previous outings—the Oscar-nominated ”Waltz with Bashir,” and live-action/animation hybrid “The Congress”—once again bringing challenging material to the screen, walking the fine line between “the subtly educational, the aesthetically lyrical, and the incisive assessment of Anne Frank’s multi-shaded personality.”Already having tackled the subject matter in previous projects such as a graphic novel, “Where Is Anne Frank” is as assured a film as anything Folman has done yet, and our favorite animated work out of the fest. – Review by Carlos Aguilar [A]

“The Worst Person In The World”
Earning comparisons to the likes of Greta Gerwing’s “Frances Ha,” Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” solidifies his status as one of the most varied filmmakers working today—having already made a stylish buddy satire (“Reprise”), an unrelenting odyssey of addiction (“Oslo, August 31st”), a meditation on urban mortality (“Louder Than Bombs”), and a psychokinetic lesbian thriller (“Thelma”). Expanding on his penchant for tapping into narrative devices, ‘Worst Person’ is broken up into 12 chapters (plus a pro/epilogue), following Julie (Best Actress winner, Renate Reisve), a college student under the illusion that her current goals form the center of the universe, switching majors as frequently as finding new hookup partners. A coming of age tale about choosing your own path, “The Worst Person in the World” is giddy and joyful and oftentimes hilarious (which could come as a pleasant surprise considering Trier’s most recent films.” Review by Iana Murray [B+]