The 2018 Cannes Film Festival has now closed and the winners of the various contests have been declared. It was my superb honour to have attended most of the festival and seen some of its biggest films.
The festival offers a glimpse of the best movies to come in the next year. Here are the five I enjoyed the most and can’t wait to see again.
5. Pope Francis: A Man of His Word
Just narrowly beating out Lars Von Trier’s latest provocative masterpiece, this is a beautiful humanist statement by Wim Wenders. An affectionate portrait of a sincere man and a very personal exploration of modern Christianity.
4. Capharnaüm
Featuring the most charismatic lead performance of this list, care of Zain Al Rafeea who is one of the most extraordinary child actors I’ve ever seen. Nadine Labaki’s rich story of poverty and desperation.
3. BlacKKKlansmen
Spike Lee’s playful but urgent story of racism and power. It’s funny, compelling and utterly terrifying in it’s relevance to modern politics. See it and heed it’s warning.
2. Burning
A slow-burn thriller about fear and anxiety particularly around love. A simple premise, a compelling plot and a tremendous amount of style make this a superbly atmospheric thriller.
1. Under the Silver Lake
The impressive new film by It Follows director David Robert Mitchell, Under the Silver Lake sees Andrew Garfield at his finest as he navigates the fascinatingly mysterious noir-inflected LA in search of his lost neighbour. A labyrinthine plot, a rich host of characters and a truly arresting style. Of all the films I saw at the festival, I cannot wait for people to start talking about Under the Silver Lake.