Egoyan

So in the end, how was Cannes? As I’m writing this, at 36,000 ft. somewhere above Greenland, I realize I’ll need a response for that question by the time I get back. The short answer: the weather sucked, and it wasn’t a banner year for films, but there were some good ones. They still need time to settle. As much as critics grumble about the quality of the films when we’re racing around the festival, by the end of the year, they’re usually starting to look pretty good. Some final reflections:

This just in. Atom Egoyan has won the Ecumenical jury’s prize in Cannes for Adoration. It’s awarded by a different jury than the one chaired by Sean Penn, which decides the main prizes. With rather fuzzy criteria, the Ecumenical jury recognizes films that have a spiritual dimension and plumb the depths of the human condition. Previous recipients include Babel and Cache. Egoyan won the prize 11 years ago for The Sweet Hereafter, which then won the International Critics’ Prize and the Grand Jury Prize in Cannes before going on to receive two Oscar nominations. Whether or not Adoration will follow suit, at least Egoyan won’t be going be home empty-handed.