Sonny Rollins - "St. Thomas"

Rest in peace to the Saxophone Colossus.

My Interview With Ashley Padilla

I had the best time talking to Ashley Padilla, one of my favorite Saturday Night Live cast members. We discussed her time at the Groundlings and her memories of working for Diane Keaton. You can read my piece here.  

(Photo by Sela Shiloni.)  

The Film Comment Podcast: 'The Dreamed Adventure,' 'The Devils' and More

 
I was pleased to be back on Film Comment's podcast with Devika Girish, Justin Chang and Jessica Kiang for the final night of Cannes. We dug deep into The Dreamed Adventure, The Birthday Party, Coward and Ken Russell's The Devils. You can hear our conversation down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Reviewing 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' and 'I Love Boosters,' Looking Back at Cannes

I'm back. On Sunday, I caught up with this weekend's new releases and then did the podcast with Will. (I also talked a little about my Cannes experience.) You can hear our thoughts on baby Yodas and Boots Riley down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Recapping the Cannes Film Festival

It was a treat to be on KCRW talking about the high points of this year's Cannes. You can hear me talk about All of a Sudden, Fjord and Minotaur (pictured) starting at the 39:50 mark.

Cannes 2026: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

Every year, I come home from Cannes with a song. One of the pleasures of this festival, beyond seeing so many invigorating films, is to be introduced (or reintroduced) to a tune that works astonishingly well within the context of a movie. In past years, tracks like Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band's cover of 50 Cent's "PIMP" (from Anatomy of a Fall) or Anna Von Hausswolff's "Stranger" (from Sound of Falling) became the unofficial theme of those editions of Cannes, providing pleasure not just inside the accompanying film but during the months after the festival when I'm still playing the track on repeat. Those songs become my memory of those two weeks on the Croisette.

Many have written about this year's Cannes being underwhelming, which I generally agree with. But the way in which I feel that most acutely is the fact that I'm not leaving France with a signature song. There were some memorable tracks scattered across several films. I loved Ira Sachs' period-specific tunes for The Man I Love. Two different songs from Kind of Blue put in an appearance. And a colleague wholeheartedly suggests that this year's song has to be "A Long December," which is implemented snarkily in Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. But still, no musical moment fully wowed me. And maybe that says something about the lineup's relative strengths. Certainly, this Cannes featured some significant movies. But perhaps not enough. And, likewise, no song that encapsulated the highs that come from discovering unexpectedly terrific films.

Going into this edition, the major story was that Hollywood was sitting the festival out, with only a handful of American indie auteurs screening their latest projects. I wasn't concerned about that relative lack of a U.S. presence, figuring that the established international directors would more than compensate. (They usually do, as witnessed by last year's all-timer edition.) And, sure enough, as I look at my rankings of this year's Cannes films, many of my top picks are from the big names. But what ultimately hurt this Cannes was that there weren't enough exciting surprises, the out-of-nowhere stunners from filmmakers whose names you needed to learn. (Here's where I have to own up to not being able to catch up with a few movies from exactly those kinds of emerging talents. I cannot wait for La Gradiva, Everytime, The Match and Rehearsals for a Revolution.) In retrospect, maybe the 79th Cannes Film Festival will be remembered as a transitional one, the new guard about to supplant the old masters. That sounds good to me.

* * * * *   

Without further ado, from worst to best, here's a list of everything I saw, with links leading to individual reviews:   

37. Diamond
36. Her Private Hell
35. The Birthday Party
34. Parallel Tales
33. Butterfly Jam
32. The Electric Kiss
31. Another Day 
30. Gentle Monster
29. Sheep in the Box
28. La Bola Negra
27. Bitter Christmas
26. A Woman’s Life
25. Jim Queen
24. The Beloved 
23. The Unknown
22. Aqui
21. In Waves
20. I'll Be Gone in June
19. Coward
18. Nagi Notes 
17. Ashes
16. Club Kid
15. The Blow
14. Hope
13. The Dreamed Adventure
12. The Diary of a Chambermaid 
11. A Man of His Time
10. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma 
9. Paper Tiger 
8. Clarissa
7. Minotaur
6. Fjord 
5. The Man I Love
4. Moulin
3. Fatherland 
2. Once Upon a Time in Harlem
1. All of a Sudden               

You may notice that my No. 2 film, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, premiered at Sundance. That remarkable documentary played in Directors' Fortnight; I wish I could have seen it a second time, especially with a more international audience. But for now, it ranks just slightly behind Ryusuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden, a three-hour stunner that screened early in the Competition, promising an incredible festival that never quite materialized. No matter: The Hamaguchi film is singular, capturing the acclaimed writer-director pushing himself into even more extraordinary terrain. And for all the talk about a weak Competition, I'm awfully happy to have seen the riveting new films from Cristian Mungiu, László Nemes, Paweł Pawlikowski, Ira Sachs and Andrey Zvyagintsev. Did Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi and Hirokazu Koreeda let me down with their misfires? Absolutely, but even the greats stumble from time to time.

One film not included in my rankings was Ken Russell's The Devils, from 1971, which screened in Cannes Classics and was the hot ticket of the festival. Only screening once, and in one of the smaller theaters, the restored director's cut may not have been my favorite film of this year's edition, but it was easily the most energizing moment of Cannes. I haven't watched The Devils since college, but its audaciousness and shock hadn't lessened, and its emotional undercurrents were far richer than I recalled. Many in the room had never seen the film, and you could feel the thrill of discovery happening in real time. That's what film festivals, and film love in general, is all about. This new restoration looks immaculate; you should seek it out when it opens in the U.S. 

* * * * *    

I've been coming to Cannes since 2013, and last year was the first time I correctly guessed what film would win the Palme d'Or. Not that I think I'm on some sort of roll now, although once again this year I did see all 22 films in Competition. 

Best as I can tell, there are three likely contenders to take home the big prize: All of a Sudden, Fatherland or Minotaur. I think all three movies are superb, which makes it even harder to predict a winner. What also makes it tricky is that the jury is made up of only nine people, and who can possibly guess what films, say, Park Chan-wook or Demi Moore really dug? Is it the kind of movies they themselves make? Are they movies that speak more to the head or the heart? Who knows? This uncertainty, of course, makes the guessing all the more fun.

In their own way, each of my three contenders Grapple With How We Live Now. Hamaguchi offers hard-earned optimism while Pawlikowski and Zvyagintsev are more suspect about what seems like the permanent bleakness of our moment, with Fatherland connecting 1949 Germany to now and Minotaur returning to the initial invasion of Ukraine by Russia. If there is a "perfect" film of the three -- a term I use extremely advisedly -- it would be the precise, controlled Fatherland, which says everything it wants to say in 82 minutes. On the other end of the spectrum is All of a Sudden's enveloping 196 minutes, which encompasses the beginning, middle and end of a short-lived friendship in its expansive running time. Minotaur is chillier than the other two, reaffirming Zvyagintsev's status as one of our greats, and it's probably the most "conventional" -- another term I'm using extremely advisedly -- in its narrative approach. 

After much debate, it's also the film I'm picking to win the Palme d'Or. Minotaur's merging of the story of a businessman who suspects his wife of adultery with a larger commentary on the corruption going on in Russia is an affecting strategy that could resonate with jury members who want to vote for something that's political but also about people. Plus, there's Zvyagintsev's own story: He spent 40 days in a coma during Covid and was close to death. Will the jury be moved by his circumstance? Maybe, maybe not. But if Fatherland's concision might come across as airless to those immune to its spell -- and All of a Sudden too "baggy" to the impatient -- Minotaur's potent timeliness could be an ideal compromise choice for Park and his fellow jurors. How certain do I feel about my pick? Oh, maybe 20 percent. 

We'll see soon enough if I'm right. But before I sign off, one last thought: Perhaps this year's unofficial song was the one that was mentioned consistently whenever anyone discussed Koreeda's Competition title, Sheep in the Box. You won't believe how many people, independently of one another, asked me, "Do you just keep getting 'Dick in a Box' stuck in your head when you hear that title?" I hadn't, but I certainly did after colleagues kept bringing it up. Maybe this year's Cannes wasn't an all-timer, but we found ways to amuse ourselves nonetheless.

Cannes 2026: 'I'll Be Gone in June' Review

Imagine being a German exchange student who arrives in America right before 9/11. What would it be like to watch the country change right in front of your outsider's eyes? That's the premise of I'll Be Gone in June, the feature debut of writer-director Katharina Rivilis, who herself was an exchange student. You can read my review here.

Cannes 2026: 'Coward' Review

Lukas Dhont returns to Cannes for the first time since Close for a film about two Belgian soldiers who fall in love during World War I. Oh, and they perform in popular cross-dressing theater pieces put on for their fellow troops. Wait, what? My review of Coward is here.

Florence + the Machine - "Free"

People will often ask me, "What does Susan do while you're out of town for two weeks at Cannes?" Well, this year, she wrote a great piece about the D Line, and she went to a Florence + the Machine concert. Trust me, she's hardly missed me.

Cannes 2026: 'Aqui' Review

One of the stranger, and more intriguing, films I've seen at this year's Cannes is Aqui, which concerns an adult man and a young boy who arrive together in a nondescript town, neither of them knowing anything about the other. Almost by default, they fall into a father-and-son dynamic. Things get even more surreal from there. My review is live over at Screen International.  

Cannes 2026: 'Diamond' Review

Andy Garcia has not directed a film in more than 20 years. He's back behind the camera for Diamond, a modern-day L.A. noir that, unfortunately, is a bit of a clunker. You can read my review here. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Tim Talks About Cannes, Will Talks About 'Is God Is' and 'Obsession'

I'm still in Cannes, but I sent in a voice note from the festival for this week's episode of the podcast in which I discussed some early highlights, including Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Meanwhile, Will soloed on two of the weekend's big releases. Hear our separate chats below.

Cannes 2026: 'Her Private Hell' Review

In general, I've been amused by Nicolas Winding Refn's post-Drive obsession with making movies that are way higher on style than substance. But his latest is just very silly. I reviewed Her Private Hell.

Cannes 2026: 'Jim Queen' Review

Looking for an endearing, queer-themed animated film about a horrible virus that's turning everyone straight? Let me suggest Jim Queen, which I reviewed for Screen International.

Cannes 2026: ;The Blow' Review

In The Blow, first-time feature director Julien Gaspar-Oliveri tells the story of two very closely bonded siblings who have very different reactions to the news that their absent father is getting out of prison. My review is up at Screen International.

'The Screen Podcast': The Highs and Lows of Cannes 2026 (So Far)

It was a treat to be back on The Screen Podcast, alongside editor Matt Mueller, to talk about some of the early highlights (and misfires) from this year's Cannes. You can check out the conversation down below.

Cannes 2026: 'Paper Tiger' Review

James Gray's sixth film to screen in competition at Cannes stars Adam Driver and Miles Teller as brothers in New Jersey in the 1980s who get involved with mobsters. Things do not go well. Here's my review of Paper Tiger.  

Cannes 2026: 'The Diary of a Chambermaid' Review

Radu Jude can't stop making films. His third in the last 18 months or so is The Diary of a Chambermaid, which is kinda sorta based on the Octave Mirbeau novel. But nothing is ever straightforward with the Romanian provocateur. My review is live over at Screen International.

Cannes 2026: 'All of a Sudden' Review

Ryusuke Hamaguchi has made some wonderful films. But All of a Sudden is something else: an emotional powerhouse that's also filled with scintillating conversation. I sang its praises over at Screen International.  

Cannes 2026: 'Parallel Tales' Review

Asghar Farhadi's latest is loosely based on Dekalog: Six, but in truth it's really more a riff on Krzysztof Kieslowski's sensibility as a whole. I reviewed Parallel Tales here. 

Shocking Blue - "Venus"

The opening night film at this year's Cannes, The Electric Kiss (La Vénus électrique), ends with "Venus," because of course. I've had it rattling around in my head ever since.

Cannes 2026: 'Ashes' Review

Diego Luna's fourth directorial feature is Ashes, about a young Mexican woman (Anna Diaz) who moves to Spain, following her mother, who moved away from her when she was still a girl. That sense of abandonment haunts the character, and the movie. My review is up at Screen International. 

Cannes 2026: 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' Review

Jane Schoenbrun makes their Cannes debut with a meta-satire about slasher films. In Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Hannah Einbinder plays an indie filmmaker who is hired to reboot a moribund horror franchise. Gillian Anderson plays the star of the 1990s original who is being lured back to reprise her role. You can read my review here.

What Does an Interpreter Do?

During the American press tour of a movie from an international director, it will be necessary for the studio to hire an interpreter to translate what the filmmaker or actors say during interviews or Q&As. (This is also true if those involved in the movie are deaf.) Over the years, I've been impressed by what interpreters do, and so I decided it would be fun to profile these folks, who usually avoid the spotlight. Over at the Los Angeles Times, I spoke with six interpreters, including Jack Jason (who works with Marlee Matlin) and Sheida Dayani (who was with Jafar Panahi during the campaign for It Was Just an Accident). Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Talking About Sheep Detectives and Previewing the 2026 Cannes Film Festival

Greetings from Cannes. I just got into town, but before I left, I recorded this week's episode of the podcast, in which I preview five films playing here that I am very excited to see, including Fjord. Also, we review The Sheep Detectives. Check it all out down below.

Us3 (featuring Rahsaan, Gerard Presencer) - "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)"

Dig that Herbie Hancock sample, everybody.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Devil Wears Prada 2,' 'Hokum' and 'Animal Farm'

As luck would have it, I didn't actually write about any of the three films we reviewed this week on the podcast. So you can hear me express my disappointment in the Devil Wears Prada sequel, praise Adam Scott in Hokum and shake my head at the animated Animal Farm. The full episode is below:

'Power Ballad' Review

John Carney is the man behind music-related movies like Once and Sing Street. His latest involves a wedding singer (Paul Rudd) and a faded pop star (Nick Jonas) who cross paths, changing each other in the process. Here's my review of the so-so Power Ballad. 

'One Spoon of Chocolate' Review

RZA is one of music's all-time greats. But he occasionally directs as well. His fourth feature, One Spoon of Chocolate, stars Shameik Moore as an Iraq War veteran and ex-convict who visits his cousin in a small Ohio town, discovering some dastardly doings in the community. My review of this action-thriller is up at the Los Angeles Times. 

Everything but the Girl - "Each and Every One"

I'm delighted that, after all this time, I still discover songs and albums Susan loved before we were dating. Everything but the Girl's first record, 1984's Eden, was a big one for her at a certain time in her life. The opening track, and fairly big single, "Each and Every One" sounds like a breakup song. But Tracey Thorn revealed in 2023 that it was about something else:

I’d been in the Marine Girls. We were three naive school girls making indie music, and we got a bit more attention than we might have expected. We got written about in the music press, but often in a patronizing tone of voice. When I got a year or so older, I looked at it and thought, “I used to think that was a compliment, but actually it’s quite patronizing.” I expressed those feelings in a slightly coded way in “Each and Every One,” so people have always interpreted it as a love song. It sounds like I’m singing to an annoying boyfriend or something. And it doesn’t matter, in a way—what comes through is a sentiment of, “I don’t like being told what to do. I don’t like to be put in my place.”