Cannes Film Festival Recap: American Entry Wins Top Prize for First Time Since 2011

Plus, Meryl Streep, Greta Gerwig & Jesse Plemons shine in a “très americain” festival year, & French filmmaker Jacques Audiard earns accolades for "Emilia Pérez"

Dear Subscribers,

Per my tardy tradition, I’m offering you a look at highlights from this year’s Cannes Film Festival— over a month after the prizes were announced, the red carpet was rolled back up and the fashion magazines concluded their lofty musings on who-wore-what. For some reason— perhaps the early onset of what Lana del Rey would call a certain “summertime sadness”, I just never seem to have the bandwidth to cover the glamour and hoopla while it’s actually happening. And this seems appropriate, given that I’ve never snagged the prize press pass which would allow me to attend in person. Peut-être bien un jour… (maybe someday)…but then again, maybe hot takes just aren’t my thing.

Caveats aside, there’s a nice, quiet lag between the closing of the festival and the wider release of the films that triumphed (or, in many cases, were unfairly overlooked) at Cannes— and so I never feel that bad about taking my time to process the event and get you a modest update later in the summer. This still leaves time for you to think about what to see when the films actually get a wider release, whether through big screens or streaming.

So let’s get to it, already!