Cannes Wish List 2010: 20 New Films to Hope For

Last week, the IndieWIRE crew decided to put together a Croisette wish list comprised of 40 New Films to Hope For where they mention IONCINEMA.com and point to several items that I listed in my Cannes predictions the week after Berlin: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII. I’ve decided to come up with not a “revised” list of predictions per se, but instead, an updated list of 20 films that I both expect to announced in two weeks from now and that I’m especially looking forward in covering for this site…; e.g. the pic above (Antoine Blossier‘s Prey).

Decade’s Best: Apichatpong Weerasethakul‘s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
No better way to honor the next decade in film than by concluding that the Thai filmmaker was a key figure in the 00’s – Weerasethakul found himself on the top of many lists as the best of the decade. This is a Main Competition title with a minute chance of being relegated to the Un Certain Regard section.

The 22nd of May on the… Koen Mortier‘s 22nd of May
Like it’s filmmaker, this is a film that will have a hard time fitting the mold, but with an apropos title, I’d hope that the Director’s Fortnight who usually receive a yearly visit from a Belgium film, would back this bold raconteur. I’m expecting an overtly stylized commentary and further proof that this is a filmmaker worth

Mingling with the Jet Set: Lodge Kerrigan‘s Rebecca H.
Another American filmmaker supported by the French, I expect Kerrigan’s biopic on the frontlady of the Jefferson Airplane to find a safe landing in the same section (Un Certain Regard) where he showed Clean, Shaven. A Merci goes to Olivier Assayas…and speaking of  

A Marathon Sitting: Olivier Assayas‘ Carlos
My biggest regret is not having enough backbone to sit threw Edward Yang’s classic (the restored, four plus hour version) of A Brighter Summer Day. I figured Che, the prior year was an event I didn’t want to repeat – back problems folks, not the film itself…so this year, I’m ready to go three rounds of 90 minutes with a terrorist. This should be an Out of Competition title.

A Pinochet Redux: Pablo Larrain’s Post Mortem
Larrain reteams with Alfredo Castro, the unforgettable actor who thematically becomes the poster boy for the sickly effects of a tortourous regime in Tony Manero. If Larrain provides the same mix of commentary, style and unique protagonist then I’m booking myself for a sampling of Chile cinema. An Un Certain Regard birth seems likely. 

A Croisette Feel Good Story: Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry
Everyone loves a good story, and while the protag in this film might come packing certain levels of chagrin (think of Julie Christie in Sarah Polley’s debut film) the story within the story is that Chang-dong pulled a once popular actress out from retirement – comeback kid at a ripe age is always fun to write about. A Main Comp birth is inevitable.

Kitchen Renovations: Ken Loach’s Route Irish
Loach changed up his game last year with a comedy in Looking for Eric, here he moves further away from the Kitchen Sink formula and lands himself into, out of all places, Bagdad. Look forward to some key perfs from Najwa Nimri and Stephen Lord. Main Comp title. 

The Adaptation: Anh Hung Tran’s Norwegian wood
In the hands of Anh Hung Tran, the Haruki Murakami novel set to the tune of the Beatles and the backdrop of 1969 Japan is looking to be the lush composition that would either end up in the Main Comp or the UCR section.

Moving up the Ladder: Denis Villenueve’s Incendies
If Villeneuve’s film makes it into the Main Comp or the Un Certain Regard section, it’ll would demonstrate once again how the festival promotes world talents: three years, three films, three sections beginning at one end of the Croisette down to the red carpet. I get sense that there’ll be some in-fighting with this title between the sections. Villeneuve is extremely sharp in the visual and thematic departments.     

Peter Mullan’s Neds
Cannes Best Actor winner for Ken Loach’s My Name Is Joe, it would be nice to friendly face-off, competition within a competition with Mullan making his first presence at the fest as a director. UCR more likely. I’m into rough and tough youth portraits – such as last year’s film from Andrea Arnold. 

Monsters Inc.: Kornel Mundruczo’s The Frankenstein Project
Mundruczo presented Delta in the main comp, hence I have no reason to believe why he won’t return to the section with another “difficult” film for processing.  

Tim Burton’s Plus 1: Bruce Robinson’s The Rum Diary
It be a real shame if French citizen Johnny Depp didn’t show up with the year they celebrate Burton. I can’t think of a better tentpole for an unsold film. Looking forward to the filmmaker’s return and the sun-splashed backdrop to this story. Expect this to be a Main Comp title. 

Same Actress, Different Tree: Julie Bertucelli’s The Tree
Charlotte Gainsbourg thrashed about against the some bark from the Rhine in Antichrist, now she’ll feel the extreme sense of loss up against the trunk, twigs and branches of another perennial woody plant. This is Bertucelli’s long awaited return since 2002’s Since Otar Left, one of my favorites of the past decade. Un Certain Regard is highly probable.

The Romanian Ripple: Cristi Puiu’s Aurora
People been talking about a Romanian New Wave for some time, I’ll just call it smart timing. The ripple effect could be felt this year, you’ve got four filmmakers from a country that has less than 50 movie theaters that could stretch out into all four sections (Main Comp, UCR, Quinzaine, Semaine de la Critique). I’d say don’t be surprised to see Radu Muntean’s Tuesday, After Christmas, Marian Crisan’s Morgen and Constantin Popescu’s Principles of Life, but the one that is assured a Main Comp slot would be Cristi Puiu’s 2nd in a series of six project.

Animation with a Twist: Gilles Marchand’s Black Heaven (L’autre Monde)
Seven years after presenting Qui a tué Bambi? as an Out of Competition item, Marchand should be back, I figure a Director’s Fortnight slot with a melange of live action and animation. If the quality is there, this could be found in the section with the red carpet. I’m liking the noir-like atmospheric details, and Dominik Moll’s previous work. 

Intelligently Designed Horror Film: Antoine Blossier’s Prey (Proie) 
I’m not sure Prey or Benedek Fliegauf’s Womb will fit the bill, but my thinking is a Critic’s Week invite will be offered to Antoine Blossier’s debut film – the section previously showed Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Orphanage and Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustillo’s A l’intérieur. Like the storyline and the first batch of images.

The Remake: Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid
Most likely an Out of Comp selection, this slick looking from Sang-soo also seconds as a wink to 2008’s Cannes’ edition where they included a restored version of Kim Ki-young’s 1960 classic.

The Sequel: Nikita Mikhalkov’s The Exodus – The Fortress: Burnt By The Sun 2
The first installment won the Grand Prize in 1994, so there is no question that the lengthy epic sequel will be on the Croisette this year with a main comp selection highly likely, but for some reason I’m thinking it may be the fest’s out of comp closing pic.

This year’s “Dogtooth”: ?????
Every year there is an avant-garde piece of national cinema that comes from out of the woodworks, from a somewhat unheard filmmaker not on the radar, that makes a huge splash.  

To Expect the Unexpected: Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life
No Superbowl would be complete without it’s star quarterback: it be a major let down if this isn’t in this year’s edition. Expectations are threw the roof for this oeuvre.