All told, the 61st edition of the world's fabulously classy, European-themed (and oriented) film festival was artistically disappointing. Only a few films stood out among the critics:
Un Conte de Noel - Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale is a fine return to form for the Kings and Queen and My Sex Life... filmmaker Desplechin. The star studded French cast (including the diva Catherine Deneuve and Diving Bell and the Butterfly's (and Bond 2008 villain) Mathieu Amalric) gave incandescent performances in this surprisingly honest, uncharacteristically melodramatic tale of family dysfunction during Christmas Day. Sadly, the film received a consolation prize for Catherine Deneuve (61st Anniversary Prize), which she shared with "the Clint".
Changeling (pictured, above) - also known as the Angelina Jolie-Oscar bait movie of the year, is Clint Eastwood's latest foray to the crime drama genre. With its neo-noir setting and real-life credentials to its favor, the 61st Anniversary co-winner is a definitive awards contender come January 2009. Save two seats at the Kodak Theater for Brangelina, though.
Waltz at Bashir - Ari Folman's ambitious, genre-bending animated feature/fiction story of Israeli politics in the 70s was unjustly denied of any awards, probably because of fest juror Marjane Satrapi's (2007 Jury Prize co-winner Persepolis) presence.
24 City - From the aesthetically consistent Chinese filmmaker of the new decade comes this semi-documentary feature about Chinese provincial life before and after the early 2007 earthquake that rocked the country.
Entre les murs - In his first official competition entry, Resources Humaine and L'Emploi du Temps director Laurent Cantet scored the Palme d'Or for this school-set drama about an unconventional teacher's complicated relationship with his ethnically diverse students. Despite the good-to-middling critical reception, The Class was a hit at the Riviera.
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