{"id":27614,"date":"2026-05-12T09:44:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/27614\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:44:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:44:31","slug":"the-11-movies-were-most-excited-to-see-at-cannes-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/27614\/","title":{"rendered":"The 11 movies we’re most excited to see at Cannes 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019re en route to the 79th Cannes Film Festival<\/a>, which begins Tuesday and runs for another 10 days of manic movie watching, along with the slow, stunned walk of post-screening euphoria (or the opposite). Before taking in another edition of what is dependably the most significant cinema showcase in the world, Times film critic Amy Nicholson and film editor Joshua Rothkopf batted around some hopes and prejudgments \u2014 all sight unseen \u2014 of a lineup that\u2019s sure to yield gold.<\/p>\n

Joshua Rothkopf: First, let\u2019s talk about who\u2019s not going to Cannes this year: American directors. Apart from Ira Sachs\u2019 \u201cThe Man I Love\u201d and James Gray\u2019s late addition \u201cPaper Tiger,\u201d no U.S. films have been invited to compete for the Palme d\u2019Or. This bucks a recent trend: Sean Baker world-premiered his \u201cAnora\u201d<\/a> at Cannes in 2024 and, at least lately, the festival has been the launching pad for some risky homegrown dares that I\u2019ve loved, like Ari Aster\u2019s future classic \u201cEddington.\u201d<\/a> You don\u2019t even have Tom Cruise rappelling in for a \u201cMission: Impossible\u201d gala.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m only semi-OK with this. I want Cannes to feel, at least for a week, like the galaxy-brained center of movie nerd-dom. A big dice-roll like Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s \u201cMegalopolis\u201d<\/a> is definitely a part of that. My itch will be scratched, hopefully, by \u201cTeenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,\u201d the meta-horror latest from Jane Schoenbrun (\u201cI Saw the TV Glow\u201d<\/a>), opening the Un Certain Regard section, which also includes American Jordan Firstman\u2019s debut feature \u201cClub Kid.\u201d And Cannes has a way of surprising you from the margins. It\u2019s where Demi Moore kicked off her gooey comeback with \u201cThe Substance.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n

But I look at this year\u2019s official poster \u2014 Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis striking a steely pose from 1991\u2019s \u201cThelma & Louise\u201d \u2014 and can\u2019t help but wonder if Hollywood has changed irrevocably. Thirty-five years ago, Ridley Scott\u2019s feminist road movie made a splash on the Croisette, then opened four days later on a Memorial Day weekend to strong box office and an awards run. Do we even get films like that now? Amy, do you think this year\u2019s lineup says anything by its omissions?<\/p>\n

Amy Nicholson: Josh, I\u2019m glad you whisked this conversation through the velvet ropes and straight to that question of: Have American movies gotten worse since Cannes premiered \u201cKung Fu Panda\u201d in 2008? The answer to that is oui, non and peut \u00eatre. We aren\u2019t making as many good movies as we used to, but our good movies are still excellent.<\/p>\n

Perhaps last year was too American. In addition to Cruise conquering the Palais, it also boasted premieres by Spike Lee, Wes Anderson, Kristen Stewart, Richard Linklater, Kelly Reichardt and Scarlett Johansson. Maybe there are political reasons our country is unpopular. Or \u2014 and this is the optimistic spin \u2014 perhaps the strong Oscars showing of other Cannes titles like \u201cSentimental Value\u201d<\/a> and \u201cThe Secret Agent\u201d<\/a> is a signal that our own tastes have evolved. After all, not one of the Hollywood-made 2025 titles I\u2019ve mentioned above even got to this March\u2019s Academy Awards. (Although \u201cEddington\u201d should have.)<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve yet to swoon for a Jane Schoenbrun film, but only because their fixations like \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer\u201d fandom are so hyperspecific that they miss me by millimeters. But I\u2019ll probably watch \u201cTeenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma\u201d at least twice to see if that\u2019s the one that cracks through. Schoenbrun\u2019s work is fascinating even if, so far, it\u2019s not for me.<\/p>\n

Spitballing from afar, the Un Certain Regard title that\u2019s seized my attention is Zachary Wigon\u2019s \u201cVictorian Psycho,\u201d a gothic horror film starring Maika Monroe and Thomasin McKenzie. Wigon\u2019s most recent film, \u201cSanctuary,\u201d<\/a> was a twisty thriller about sexual politics with Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott that deserved to make more of a splash. Maybe this will. And I have to admit, the actor I\u2019m most curious to see in it is 13-year-old Jacobi Jupe, who was the best thing in \u201cHamnet.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n

Speaking of: Any first thoughts on which movies we\u2019ll be talking about for the next 10 months?<\/p>\n

\"Isabelle <\/p>\n

Isabelle Huppert in \u201cParallel Tales.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Carole Bethuel)<\/p>\n

Rothkopf: So hard to say! Even when a movie outright wins the Palme, I\u2019m usually that guy wondering: But does it have legs to go all the way? For the record, last year\u2019s winner, Jafar Panahi\u2019s politically inflamed abduction drama \u201cIt Was Just an Accident,\u201d<\/a> ended up with two Oscar nominations and no wins.<\/p>\n

I can only offer possibilities. Take an awards-saturated director, Asghar Farhadi (\u201cA Separation,\u201d \u201cThe Salesman\u201d), a revered French cast (Isabelle Huppert, Vincent Cassel and, sure, Catherine Deneuve) and put them in a script about several people stoically surviving the aftermath of terrorism \u2014 specifically the November 2015 attacks in Paris \u2014 and you get \u201cParallel Tales.\u201d Here\u2019s another one: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose roving \u201cDrive My Car\u201d <\/a>surprised everyone, is back with a sad-sounding movie about terminal illness, \u201cAll of a Sudden.\u201d I have a hard time imagining those two movies won\u2019t be in the conversation.<\/p>\n

But this is what my heart says: Na Hong-jin is a Korean moviemaker who\u2019s only getting better. His excruciating debut, 2008\u2019s \u201cThe Chaser,\u201d felt like what you\u2019d come up with if you only watched David Fincher\u2019s \u201cSeven\u201d for a year and spoke to no one. A little later, he upped his game considerably with \u201cThe Wailing,\u201d which adds ghosts, demons, dead crows and an extremely literal title. I couldn\u2019t get it out of my head. Now he\u2019s back with a sci-fi film called \u201cHope\u201d which also, apparently, has a tiger on the loose.<\/p>\n

It would delight me to no end if that were the movie we ended up talking about for months. Do you see hints of a mighty performance anywhere in these tea leaves?<\/p>\n

Nicholson: Hmmm \u2026 well, there\u2019s no bigger hint than the name Sandra H\u00fcller in the cast list of Pawe\u0142 Pawlikowski\u2019s \u201cFatherland.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was nuts about Pawlikowski\u2019s 2013 \u201cIda,\u201d about a young nun on a destructive road trip through her family\u2019s history, and 2018\u2019s \u201cCold War,\u201d a tumultuous romance between two artists in a time of propaganda. \u201cIda\u201d won the Academy Award for international film; \u201cCold War\u201d was nominated for (and lost) three Oscars including director and cinematography. If I was going to pop over to Monaco and place a bet on next year\u2019s heavyweight contender, \u201cFatherland\u201d would be it.<\/p>\n

Another one I\u2019ve got my eyes on is Gray\u2019s \u201cPaper Tiger,\u201d a Russian mafia movie with Adam Driver, Johansson and Miles Teller. Gray tends to get great performances out of people \u2014 Gwyneth Paltrow and Joaquin Phoenix in \u201cTwo Lovers\u201d is another personal favorite \u2014 and it\u2019s been ages since I\u2019ve seen Teller play a role that measures up to his potential. (His turn as the Gloved One\u2019s lawyer in \u201cMichael\u201d<\/a> doesn\u2019t, although he\u2019s perfectly fine in it.) Likewise, Driver and Johansson have four nominations between them and no wins. Maybe this will turn their luck around?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Sebastian Stan has been steadily building an eclectic, challenging resume with movies like \u201cA Different Man,\u201d \u201cThe Apprentice,\u201d \u201cFresh,\u201d heck, even \u201cPam & Tommy.\u201d It\u2019s a relief he took time away from \u201cAvengers: Doomsday\u201d to shoot \u201cFjord\u201d with Romanian director Cristian Mungiu (\u201c4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days\u201d) and au courant Oscar darling Renate Reinsve<\/a>. Speaking of Stan\u2019s Bucky Barnes, is there any hope that anything in the program might break out of the art house and into the mainstream? I\u2019ll even be content with something that has the sizzle of last year\u2019s \u201cSir\u0101t,\u201d<\/a> which you and I both dug.<\/p>\n

\"Sophie <\/p>\n

Sophie Thatcher in \u201cHer Private Hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Neon)<\/p>\n

Rothkopf: \u201cSir\u0101t\u201d may just be one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences \u2014 I still remember the room (and my chest) vibrating. Will any of these new movies feel like bass-heavy raves?<\/p>\n

It still strikes me as improbable that a talent as weird as Denmark\u2019s Nicolas Winding Refn somehow found his way to making 2011\u2019s L.A.-at-night thriller \u201cDrive,\u201d a movie that already feels essential to this city\u2019s psychology (scorpion jacket optional). Refn is back at Cannes with his first feature in a decade, \u201cHer Private Hell,\u201d which stars a bunch of hot young things and takes place in a futuristic Tokyo. Sounds like all the elements are there.<\/p>\n

And Neon, the company that\u2019s won a stunning six Palmes in a row, has already bought \u201cThe Unknown,\u201d the mysterious latest from Arthur Harari (who won a screenplay Oscar with his partner Justine Trier for \u201cAnatomy of a Fall\u201d<\/a>). If anyone can drag an art-house phenomenon into the mainstream, it\u2019s L\u00e9a Seydoux, who pockets \u201cDune\u201d and James Bond movies whenever she slinks on screen.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the craziest-sounding movie that you can\u2019t wait to don formal attire to see?<\/p>\n

Nicholson: For me, the answer is always Quentin Dupieux.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been a fan of Dupieux\u2019s before he made movies like \u201cRubber\u201d and \u201cDeerskin,\u201d back when he was the techno artist \u201cMr. Oizo\u201d who directed his own music videos (with puppets!) that played on heavy rotation on Euro MTV while I was studying abroad. \u201cFull Phil\u201d is his first English-language comedy since 2013\u2019s bizarro \u201cWrong Cops\u201d and his most star-laden one since, well, ever, with a cast top-lined by Woody Harrelson and Stewart as a father and daughter on a Parisian vacation.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure if I\u2019ll be seeing \u201cFull Phil\u201d in a ballgown or blue jeans and I don\u2019t really care. I just can\u2019t wait to see it. Yes, it\u2019s a pity more Hollywood movies aren\u2019t flying to France. But I\u2019m glad we are \u2014 and I can\u2019t wait to report back on what\u2019ll be worth debating until spring 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019re en route to the 79th Cannes Film Festival, which begins Tuesday and runs for another 10 days…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27615,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[16872,16757,758,16869,8,9354,16868,16871,3698,5116,9,16867,16870,16766,11062,7,3211,1349],"class_list":{"0":"post-27614","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-american-director","9":"tag-cannes","10":"tag-day","11":"tag-hard-time","12":"tag-headlines","13":"tag-hope","14":"tag-james-gray","15":"tag-kristen-stewart","16":"tag-month","17":"tag-movie","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-one","20":"tag-paper-tiger","21":"tag-scarlett-johansson","22":"tag-several-people","23":"tag-top-stories","24":"tag-way","25":"tag-year"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@news\/116560964018346299","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}