9. THE WAILING

First things first: this isn’t a Spanish remake of the 2016 Korean classic of the same name. If that disappoints you, I’ve got even more bad news because, frankly, this movie isn’t that great. It uses a story construct similar to It Follows — an evil entity that attaches itself to people — to explore violence against women and mental illness, but the fact is that this premise has been done better (and often). On top of being somewhat unoriginal, it’s disjointed while kinda meandering, feeling half written and relying mostly on atmosphere without building much tension or delivering many scares. The performances are decent, though.

8. I, THE EXECUTIONER

Unbeknownst to me, I, the Executioner (a.k.a. Veteran 2), is a sequel. I didn’t see (or have even heard of) its predecessor, so I have no idea if there were important nuances or backstory I was missing as I watched this movie. That said, it’s an enjoyable but fairly standard action cop thriller. It reminded me of movies like S.W.A.T. and Striking Distance — you know, the kind of movies you stop on when flipping channels but never intentionally watch. If it were in English, it may have ranked higher, but being somewhat generic and in subtitles makes for nothing more than a one-time diversion.

This review was originally posted with Bitesize Breakdown’s coverage of the 77th Cannes Film Festival (2024).

7. MADS

On a technical level, MadS is extremely impressive. Shot in one continuous take, this 86-minute movie does a great job of using camera angles and sound design to build a gory vibe of paranoia and anxiety. However, there are inherent drawbacks to the approach that hurt the film. For one, it’s very poorly lit, often making it difficult to see what is happening. Also, the story becomes super draggy, resulting in a movie that feels much longer than its compact runtime. Lastly, the ending is just unsatisfying. Film nerds should see it for the technical achievement, but I’m not sure others need to rush to it.

6. ABOVE THE KNEE

Despite its low-budget and oddball Norwegian trappings, I was immediately captivated by this tale of body integrity dysphoria, which is a rare mental disorder characterized by the desire to have a physical disability due to feelings of discomfort in being able-bodied, and the madness it sews into one’s psyche. It’s admittedly imperfect, featuring average performances and not much in the way of gravitas, but the “X days until ‘The Accident’” story structure kept me on the edge of my seat, constantly guessing at how it all might end. It’s by no means necessary viewing, but I’m nevertheless happy Above the Knee crossed my path.  

5. NIGHT CALL

Night Call, or La Nuit se Traine in French, doesn’t reinvent the wheel of the “survive the night” action thriller, but that doesn’t mean its simple story isn’t effective. Reminiscent of the 1993 cult classic Judgment Night, Night Call boasts tense, suspenseful, violent, and gritty noir thrills while also delivering a sympathetic protagonist in Mady (Jonathan Feltre) that you can’t help but root for. The Black Lives Matter angle is a little ham-fisted, though, failing to be thought provoking in the way it likely was intended, but that doesn’t exactly hurt the movie. Overall, it’s like a well-executed cover song: familiar, but not without merit.

4. COMPANION

Much like Barbarian, which has been referenced incessantly in the marketing (“from the creators of Barbarian”), Companion is a great “the less you know, the better” movie that is sharp, slick, incisive, surprisingly funny, and a thrilling social commentary on perceived gender roles. It probably hits even harder given what is happening in the United States right now. It’s admittedly not overly original — I could rattle off at least a dozen movies that have touched on similar themes ­— but it’s a witty breath of fresh air in an overplayed genre. It’s hard to believe a movie this good was dropped in January.

3. DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY

I’ve been wanting to see Dead Talents Society since I mistakenly thought it was premiering at Cannes in 2024 (I even mentioned it in my Cannes preview!). After eight months, I’ve finally seen it, and I can thankfully say that it doesn’t disappoint. Not only is it extremely stylish, hilariously clever, and rich with world-building, the story is surprisingly heartfelt due to the instantly relatable and lovable characters. Writer-director John Hsu effortlessly balances comedy, horror, and drama in ways few can, and although it drags ever-so-slightly in the middle, Dead Talents Society remains perhaps the best horror comedy I’ve seen since The Cabin in the Woods.

2. PRESENCE

Truth be told, I haven’t liked a Steven Soderbergh offering since 2017’s Logan Lucky (eight movies and three series ago), and I was worried the first-person aspect of Presence was going to be too gimmicky. However, I was blown away. To be clear, this isn’t a horror movie at all. It’s a heavy family drama, and I was immediately immersed in the familial dynamics at play on screen (most of the credit goes to Chris Sullivan’s performance). It’s very similar to David Lowery’s A Ghost Story (which also blew me away), and I suspect that, much like Story, Presence won’t leave my mind for some time.

1. THE SURFER

Few people can portray a man’s slow descent into madness better than Nic Cage, and director Lorcan Finnegan seemingly knows this. He’s content to simply allow Cage to do his thing and go wild as a mild-mannered, white-collar yuppie suffering a maniacal and hallucinatory psychotic break in the face of toxic masculinity, framing it all in a sun-soaked, 70s exploitation aesthetic that radiates off the screen. I mean, you can almost feel the heat and sweaty grime of the Australian beach with every suspenseful revelation that drives Cage’s character further and further into the spiral. The Surfer has B-movie, grindhouse cult classic written all over it.

This review originally posted with Bitesize Breakdown’s coverage of the 77th Cannes Film Festival (2024).