My Top Film Festival movies for 2016... (in list order of my choice)
Movies screened in official competition at Cannes, Berlin and Venice.
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21 titles
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsShahab HosseiniTaraneh AlidoostiMina SadatiWhile Ranaa and Emad, a married couple, are participating in a production of "Death of a Salesman," she is assaulted in their new home, which leaves him determined to find the perpetrator over his wife's traumatized objections.3. Cinema at its best with this riveting drama that reveals each layer a bit at a time... (Cannes)
- DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsRyan GoslingEmma StoneRosemarie DeWittWhile navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.6. A classic modern musical with old style of music and dance numbers that all worked thanks to the performers... (Venice)
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsRuth NeggaJoel EdgertonWill DaltonThe story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision.8. Superb performances from the two leads and director/writer knows how to tell a story without the melodramatic Hollywood or Spielberg schmaltz... (Cannes)
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsKim Min-heeHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woongA woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.9. Cheeky as ever and frisky as well, Chan-wook has crafted an entertaining playful minor-masterpiece with a supreme story structure... (Cannes)
- DirectorDerek CianfranceStarsMichael FassbenderAlicia VikanderRachel WeiszA lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from a drifting rowing boat.10. The perfect taunt drama about love, lost and forgiveness... (Venice)
- DirectorTom FordStarsAmy AdamsJake GyllenhaalMichael ShannonA wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.11. A stylistic modern-noir about Remorse, Revenge and Forgiveness told in the past, present and imagination... (Venice)
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsAmy AdamsJeremy RennerForest WhitakerA linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.19. At first it seems so intricate and fascinating, but when you peel away the layers the peace and love and unity message comes over loud and clear. Ultimately it's in the way you deliver the message that is effective with the mood almost reminding me of Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind... (Venice)
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsEmma SuárezAdriana UgarteDaniel GraoAfter a casual encounter, a brokenhearted woman decides to confront her life and the most important events involving her estranged daughter.21. Only Almodóvar can get away with a modern day high-end soap drama... (Cannes)
- DirectorMaren AdeStarsSandra HüllerPeter SimonischekMichael WittenbornA practical joking father tries to reconnect with his hard working daughter by creating an outrageous alter ego and posing as her CEO's life coach.23. A complex and sometime fascinating relationship between a miserable practical joker and his overworked self-centred corporate daughter with grand performances perfectly underplayed and... (Cannes)
- DirectorXavier DolanStarsGaspard UllielMarion CotillardLéa SeydouxLouis (Gaspard Ulliel), a terminally ill writer, returns home after a long absence to tell his family that he is dying.26. Stunning cast in an emotional and intense talkie close-up movie... (Cannes)
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsAdam DriverGolshifteh FarahaniNellieA quiet observation of the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.27. Jarmusch's wry visual poetry to a township and the life of a bus driver... (Cannes)
- DirectorKen LoachStarsDave JohnsHayley SquiresSharon PercyAfter surviving a heart-attack, a 59-year-old carpenter must fight bureaucratic forces to receive Employment and Support Allowance.30. The unjust treatment and stress placed on those attempting to make ends meet in a society moulded as a corporation... (Cannes)
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsIsabelle HuppertLaurent LafitteAnne ConsignyA successful businesswoman gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she tracks down the unknown man who raped her.31. Another Verhoeven twisted tale with Huppert fitting in perfectly... (Cannes)
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsPierre NineyPaula BeerErnst StötznerIn the aftermath of WWI, a young German who grieves the death of her fiancé in France meets a mysterious Frenchman who visits the fiancé's grave to lay flowers.35. Ozon creates a heartfelt melodrama with a political edge... (Venice)
- DirectorAndrea ArnoldStarsSasha LaneShia LaBeoufRiley KeoughA teenage girl with nothing to lose joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love as she criss-crosses the Midwest with a band of misfits.38. Disillusioned and untameable young adults become gypsies in their own country with Star joining the circus to travel across the vast emptiness of the American dream... (Cannes)
- DirectorKleber Mendonça FilhoStarsSonia BragaMaeve JinkingsIrandhir SantosClara, 65, lives her life to the fullest with her family and friends. A construction company wants her Recife oceanfront condo, as they've already bought all the other in the 3 story building. Clara's staying.43. Sonia carries the weight of this little piece... (Cannes)
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsNatalie PortmanPeter SarsgaardGreta GerwigFollowing the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy.44. Took a while to settle into the semi-abstract and minor-surreal technical style that perfectly captured Jackie's mindframe of shock and delirium... (Venice)
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsMichael ShannonJoel EdgertonKirsten DunstA father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child's special powers.97. Intriguing, with some questionable moments, but so well told that you go along for the sci-fi trippy ride... (Berlin)
- DirectorOlivier AssayasStarsKristen StewartLars EidingerSigrid BouazizA personal shopper in Paris refuses to leave the city until she makes contact with her twin brother who previously died there. Her life becomes more complicated when a mysterious person contacts her via text message.111. Assayas challenges us once again, and this time he takes on the spiritual horror genre with his current muse, Kristen Stewart... (Cannes)
- DirectorSean PennStarsCharlize TheronJavier BardemBrandon PhillipsIn the midst of African social horror, a love between two volunteers fades out and is reborn.115. Sean Penn's muddled artful humanity piece... (Cannes)
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsElle FanningChristina HendricksKeanu ReevesAn aspiring model, Jesse, is new to Los Angeles. However, her beauty and youth, which generate intense fascination and jealousy within the fashion industry, may prove themselves sinister.133. Refn has fun with the L.A. model scene and turns it into a quasi-horror show for the neurotic of vain beauty and cannibalism... (Cannes)