This was written before Lukas Dhont’s “Close” was screened last night and, suffice to say, that film has everybody talking this morning. Will the filmmaker-heavy jury go for it? I’m not so sure they will, but absolutely everyone is convinced that it’s this year’s Palme, based purely on the emotional reaction. Critics seem to be mostly positive on it, with only myself, IndieWire and Variety having mixed reactions. A 12 minute standing ovation at the Lumiere has me thinking it’s a contender. As I wrote in my review: “A carefully crafted campaign was concocted yesterday to plant the seed, so to speak, to make it a contender. In the morning, we heard that A24 had picked up the film for US distribution. Then, immediately after, Scott Feinberg tweeted that it was “great” and “may well be the eventual the Palme d’Or winner.” This upped the ante and had everyone here excited to see it.” The resulting praise was inevitable. What many called a very weak 21-film competition was still filled with the usual wonders that come with being the most important film festival in the world. Save for “Close,” there have been whispers, here and there, of potential Palme contenders. Some marquee titles the jury might reward the Palme to include Ruben Ostlund’s outlandish, politically incorrect comedy “Triangle of Sadness”, Ali Abbasi’s Iranian serial killer shocker “Holy Spider”, the Dardenne Brothers’ immigration tale “Tori et Lokita,” and James Gray’s wonderfully personal drama “Armageddon Time”. David Cronenberg could finally be getting his due and win the top prize for his contemplative and shocking “Crimes of the Future,” but the film is a polarizer, having had many walkouts during its screenings. The 79-year-old director gave us a body-horror sci-fi filled with the obsessions that have invaded his legendary near five-decade career. One only hopes the filmmaker-heavy jury makes a bold choice and rewards the Canadian director the Palme. Kelly Reichardt’s “Showing Up” is still left to be screened, but word is that it’s a rewarding experience, but has the “First Cow” filmmaker working in a fairly minor key. Contribute Hire me
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