As far as Cannes Film Festivals go, the 2025 edition was rather uncontroversial. Save for a last-minute red carpet dress code rule change, proceedings remained comfortably on track, with a surfeit of acclaimed films and the notable absence of booing, which was at one time par for the course.
That isn’t to say there was no division. An early crowd splitter was Eddington, the latest from Hereditary and Midsommar director Ari Aster. The shaggy dog style of Aster’s comedy-western-of-sorts, set against the backdrop of Covid, left many unimpressed but proved its cult appeal with many (including myself) declaring their love for the film like a badge of honour up and down the Croisette throughout the festival.
Lynne Ramsay’s entrancingly structureless Die My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence as a new mother going through psychosis, received early buzz, with Lawrence widely assumed to be the frontrunner for the festival’s Best Actress prize. But when this year’s jury, headed up by Juliette Binoche, gave out the awards, the film lefty empty handed – with Nadia Melliti winning for playing a queer Muslim in coming-of-age drama The Little Sister.
The biggest divider was perhaps Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, a reimagining of the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s French New Wave 1960 classic Breathless. I didn’t see angrier faces walking out of any film all festival long – but some four and five star reviews indicate a strong fanbase. Netflix has since bought it for $4m.
Such is the nature of hectic schedules, I didn’t get to see everything I wanted at Cannes, with notable omissions including Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut Urchin, BDSM romantic tale Pillion, starring a leather clad Alexander Skarsgård, and The Secret Agent, which ended up taking home the Best Actor prize for leading man Wagner Moura. Of the 20 or so films I did see, though, here are my top eight.
The Girl in the Snow
My favourite film of 2023 was Hlynur Pálmason’s Godland, so it’s no surprise I took to this sedate, snow-capped tale of isolation set in the Hautes Alpes. Documentarian Louise Hemon’s impressive feature debut, set days before the 20th century, tracks the unsettling aftermath of a strident young woman’s arrival within a close-knit community. As a blizzard descends, so too does unease, with characters and viewers alike grappling with the strange occurrences caused by her presence. If you don’t go in expecting its mysteries to be solved, you’ll lap up this slow-burn drama.
I Only Rest in the Storm
If long films aren’t your bag, then you probably won’t want to see this three-and-a-half hour Portuguese epic. But those who dive in will find a towering work that whisks along quicker than most Hollywood films with a two-hour runtime. It helps that director Pedro Pinho anchors proceedings with a relatable lead character, a wide-eyed environmental engineer (played by Sérgio Coragem) who we watch get to grips with post-colonial life in Guinea Bissau. It’s an enchanting fable for the modern era, and one that presents an educational snapshot of life in a location far, far away.
It Was Just an Accident
This year’s choice for Palme d’Or winner was a no-brainer. The audience vote could well have gone to Joachim Trier’s moving drama Sentimental Value (see below), but the jury opted for Jafar Panahi’s latest – a subtly searing critique of the Iranian regime and the terror it leaves in its wake. The film follows a chance encounter after a car accident that has chilling repercussions for everyone involved. Panahi was previously imprisoned in Iran for making films deemed anti-government propaganda, and It Was Just an Accident was made without permission upon his release in 2023. This is top-tier filmmaking from a director who is constantly raising the bar.
Love Letters
The masses seemed to skip this nifty French drama at Cannes, but it’s one to catch whenever the chance arises. It follows the worries faced by Céline (Ella Rumpf) as she navigates the adoption process for her first child, who is being carried by her girlfriend Nadia (Monia Chokri). The film highlights how, in France, same-sex couples experience thornier legal checks during the adoption process, and Rumpf is particularly brilliant in showcasing Céline’s inner anxieties about her rights. Alice Douard’s quietly effective film gives life to a situation that has rarely been given screen time in the past. Love Letters deserves to be widely seen.
The President’s Cake
When Saddam Hussein was in power, the Iraqi government would elect one student whose family would have to bake him a birthday cake or face punishment. Hasan Hadi’s film, set in 1990, shows an instance where a student is chosen despite her family not having the money to buy the ingredients. Regardless of the seemingly challenging subject matter, The President’s Cake is a playful watch, crucially switching back to serious when the time calls. But it’s the spirited lead performance from nine-year-old Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, as the head-strong Lamia, that elevates it to unmissable status. In a festival that boasted plenty of performances to write home about (Lawrence, Sope Dirisu in My Father’s Shadow, Kayo Martin in The Plague), Nayyef’s sits at the top for me. It was the first Iraqi film to compete at Cannes – and won the Director’s Fortnight award.
Sentimental Value
It’s counterproductive to talk about awards season during Cannes, but it’s hard to escape the thought that Sentimental Value will be in next year’s Oscar race. The festival has become known for introducing the ones that’ll be in contention for trophies – last year’s Cannes debuted both Anora and Emilia Pérez – and it feels as if The Worst Person in the World filmmaker Joachim Trier’s tender familial drama is one that will resonate with both critics and audiences. Not least because it’s very, very good. It follows director Gustav Borg (a never-better Stellan Skarsgård) who has written a film seemingly based upon his failings as a father – and one he wants his daughter Nora (Renat Reinsve) to star in. There’s a touch of Ingmar Bergman in the presentation of scenes that slowly uncover the wounds this revelation reopens.
Sirat
The first film I saw at Cannes 2025 was also my favourite. From the moment an elaborate set of speakers are shown being set up in the Moroccan desert, ahead of an illegal rave attracting hundreds of euphoria-hunting revellers, I was hooked on the tone of this film: one of perceived safety that can be superseded by horror at the flick of an amp switch. The story follows Luis (Sergi López) who goes from reveller to reveller with a photo of his missing daughter, last seen at one of these raves. As the search intensifies, so too does the terrain around them, resulting in a slow-burn descent into hell that caused some of the biggest gasps I’ve ever heard in a cinema. Oliver Laxe’s Sirat is a visual manifestation of dread.
Splitsville
A male friendship is pushed to the edge of breaking point in Splitsville, after revelations about their respective romantic relationships come to light. If this all sounds rather run-of-the-mill, it remains anything but thanks to the structural kookiness favoured by director and lead actor Michael Angelo Covino and his co-writer and star Kyle Marvin. Splitsville is their first film by the pair since their hidden gem The Climb (worth checking out) got torpedoed by Covid and, by Covino’s own admission, this new one is a more commercial film; it helps that they’ve attracted Hollywood talent in the form of Dakota Johnson and Andor scene-stealer Adria Arjona. The comedy often veers into silliness – but that’s by design. Covino and Masrvin’s shtick won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but for those taken by their goofy charms, Splitsville is a breath of fresh comic air.
