Ten Cannes ‘09 films I’ll be on the lookout for

Film titles link to David Hudson’s typically excellent Cannes coverage at The Daily; here’s a link to his “Cannes 09. Awards and index post.”

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10. Bright Star (2009)

How convenient! Jane Campion, whose films I keep meaning to look into, has made a film about John Keats, whose poems I keep meaning to read. Quoth Manohla Dargis: “Working with the cinematographer Greig Fraser, Ms. Campion brings an extraordinary tactility to her images, particularly through her representation of touch. With delicacy and caressing light that self-consciously invokes Vermeer, she distills desire through the flutter of fingers against a rough bit of cloth, though I do sometimes wish there were a bit more wildness amid the fluttering.”

9. Mother (2009)

Bong Joon-ho’s last feature The Host (2006) didn’t seem like anything special to me, but I definitely enjoyed it enough to gladly give him another chance to prove that he’s “making the movies Hollywood should be making,” which is what Daniel Kasman says he’s doing.

8. Police, Adjective (2009)

Corneliu Porumboiu’s second film is by almost all accounts an improvement over his first, 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006), which won a Camera d’Or at Cannes ‘06. Which, if true, is pretty impressive.

7. Father of My Children (2009)

Another sophomore effort, but this time by a director (Mia Hansen-Løve) I’m not familiar with. Everything I’ve read about this film — which according to Justin Chang’s Variety review “consists of a first act that builds gradually but steadily to a shocking moment of violence, followed by a second act that sadly combs through the emotional wreckage” — makes me want to see it. Like David Phelps’ review, for instance, in which it is called “probably about the best film about children and childhood there could be.”

6. Dogtooth (2009)

This year’s winner of the Prix Un Certain Regard. Praised by Karina Longworth as “the only narrative I’ve seen that really feels like it represents the work an emerging new talent” (as of five days ago, anyway) and by Mike D’Angelo as “the only truly great film I saw here this year.”

5. Like You Know It All (2009)

Hong Sang-soo is a new discovery for me. But although I’ve only seen two of his films, Woman Is the Future of Man (2004) and Woman On the Beach (2006), and both of these recently, I think I’m well on my way to becoming one of his “devoted but tiny clutch of fans,” so this new film should appeal to me.

4. Antichrist (2009)

The big controversy at this year’s festival, which, as Dave Kehr notes, probably means “that the great provocateur has once again completely succeeded in his intentions.” I love Lars von Trier. I think he’s hilarious. I’m don’t know whether or not I’ll like this film, but I’m almost positive that I’ll have some great conversations about it, and I dig that.

3. Vengeance (2009)

Johnnie To edges out Hong Sang-soo and James Gray for the number one slot on my “Directors I’m Into These Days” list. Those who “get it,” like David Phelps and Manohla Dargis, for instance, are enthusiastic about his latest effort, so I’ll be awaiting it with bated breath and rapt anticipation.

2. Wild Grass (2009)

Alain Resnais’ latest is the subject of the Pull Quote of the Festival, which comes from Daniel Kasman: “It has breathed life not just into the festival but into cinema itself, a true, effervescent delight as sad, hilarious, and wonderful as can be imagined.”

I loved Private Fears in Public Places (2006), Resnais’ last film, and this one looks (I’m judging from this still) and sounds like something along those lines.

1. A Prophet (2009)

Jacques Audiard’s last film The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005), which I would put forward as an example of the absolute right way to approach a movie remake, is a shoo-in for the Best of the Decade list that I will undoubtedly make sometime next year. I don’t know much about A Prophet, which was awarded the Grand Prix, because I only glanced at the reviews long enough to ascertain that they were raves. I intend to go into this film cold in the hopes that it will knock my socks off.