Wang Bing’s He Fengming
CANNES 2007óTHE FINAL RANKINGS
By Robert Koehler
Below are my final rankings of the films across all sections that I saw before, during and just after Cannes, from best to worst. Given the importance of Cristian Nemescuís California Dreaminí, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard competition, I delayed this final ranking list until being able to see Nemescuís film at its first post-Cannes screening in the Cinevegas film festival. Six of these titles include the short films comprising the omnibus film, The State of the World, whose individual parts varied so greatly (as evidenced by the extreme rankings of such films as Pedro Costaís masterpiece, Tarrafal, and Chantal Akermanís embarrassing doodle, Night Falls on Shanghai) that I was compelled to list them as separate works.
1. ìHe Fengmingî Wang Bing, China
2. ìTarrafalî Pedro Costa, Portugal (in ìThe State of the Worldî)
3. ìZodiacî David Fincher, U.S.
4. ìNight Trainî Diao Yi’nan, China
5. ìGo Go Talesî Abel Ferrara,
U.S.
6. ìParanoid Parkî Gus Van Sant,
France-U.S.
7. ìSecret Sunshineî Lee Chang-dong, South Korea
8. ìLa Franceî Serge Bozon, France
9. ìBrutality Factoryî Wang Bing, China (in ìThe State of the Worldî)
10. ìMunyurangaboî Lee Isaac Chung,
U.S.
11. ìLa Question humaineî Nicolas Klotz, France
12. ìBoarding Gateî Olivier Assayas, France
13. ìThe Mourning Forestî Naomi Kawase, Japan
14. ìA Mighty Heartî Michael Winterbottom,
U.K.
15. ìSilent Lightî Carlos Reygadas, Mexico-France-Netherlands
16. ìAlexandraî Alexander Sokurov, Russia
17. ìXXYî Lucia Puenzo, Argentina
18. ìSickoî Michael Moore, U.S.
19. ìLuminous Peopleî Apitchatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand (in ìThe State of the Worldî)
20. ìUne Vieille Maitresseî Catherine Breillat, France
21. ìNo Country For Old Menî Joel and Ethan Coen, U.S.
22. ì4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Daysî Cristian Mungiu, Romania
23. ìImport/Exportî Ulrich Seidl, Austria
24. ìSmiley Faceî Gregg Araki, U.S.
25. ìCalifornia Dreamin’ î Cristian Nemescu, Romania
26. ìZooî Robinson Devor, U.S.
27. ìTerrorís Advocateî Barbet Schroeder, France
28. ìPierre Rissient: Man of Cinemaî Todd McCarthy, U.S.
29. ìDeath Proofî Quentin Tarantino, U.S.
30. ìPersepolisî Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, France-U.S.
31. ìThe Bandís Visitî Eran Kolarin, Israel
32. ìOne Wayî Ayisha Abraham, India (in ìThe State of the Worldî)
33. ìHorse Thievesî Micha Wald, Belgium-France
34. ìBlind Mountainî Li Yang, China
35. ìThe Warî Ken Burns, U.S.
36. ìGermanoî Vicente Ferraz, Brazil (in ìThe State of the Worldî)
37. ìThe Banishmentî Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia-Belgium
38. ìThe Man From Londonî Bela Tarr,
Germany-France-U.K.-Hungary
39. “A Stray Girlfriend” Ana Katz, Argentina
40. ìControlî Anton Corbijn, U.K.
41. ìCounterpartsî Jan Bonny, Germany
42. ìThe Diving Bell and the Butterflyî Julian Schnabel,
France
43. ìWe Own the Nightî James Gray, U.S.
44. ìThe Edge of Heavenî Fatih Akin, Germany-Turkey
45. ìCaramelî Nadine Labaki, Lebanon
46. ìPVC-1î Spiros Stathoulopoulos, Colombia
47. ìOcean’s Thirteenî Steven Soderbergh, U.S.
48. ìMy Blueberry Nightsî Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong-France-China
49. ìTehilimî Raphael Nadjari, France-Israel
50. ìPromise Me Thisî Emir Kusturica,
Serbia-France
51. ìNight Falls Over Shanghaiî Chantal Akerman, France (in ìThe State of the Worldî)