The 79th Cannes Film Festival Just Wrapped — Here Are the 5 Movies Everyone Will Be Talking About

The 79th Cannes Film Festival Just Wrapped — Here Are the 5 Movies Everyone Will Be Talking About

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival officially wraps up today, May 23, and critics are buzzing. Over two packed weeks on the Croisette, reviewers watched 24 films — including 15 of the 22 titles competing for the coveted Palme d'Or. While this year's edition was quieter than usual, with fewer Hollywood blockbusters than we've come to expect, five standout films emerged as absolute must-sees. Here's your guide to the Cannes movies that will dominate conversations for months to come.

A Heavy-Hitting Lineup You Don't Want to Miss

Let's start with the film that delivered the biggest emotional gut punch of the entire festival: "Fjord," directed by Romanian master Cristian Mungiu — the same filmmaker who won the Palme d'Or back in 2007 for "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days." This ice-cold thriller stars Sebastian Stan in a fully transformed performance as Mihai Gheorghiu, a Romanian man who relocates with his Norwegian wife Lisbet (played brilliantly by Renate Reinsve) and their five children to the remote Norwegian fjords. What starts as a pastoral dream turns sinister when the local community grows suspicious of their devout Christianity, and their eldest daughter arrives at school with mysterious bruises — triggering Norway's strict child protection system. It's a slow-burn masterpiece with extraordinary cinematography and performances that linger long after the credits roll. Critics are calling it the frontrunner for this year's Palme d'Or.

Then there's "Minotaur," the first film from Russian auteur Andrey Zvyagintsev in nearly a decade. His previous works — "Leviathan" and "Loveless" — were both Oscar nominees and Cannes award winners. "Minotaur" is set in 2022 and follows Gleb (Dmitriy Mazurov), a well-connected provincial CEO whose life spirals as he's forced to draft expendable staff members into the military while suspecting his wife Galina (Iris Lebedeva) of having an affair. It's a chilling, meaty indictment of oligarch hypocrisy that many critics believe is overdue for the Palme d'Or.

From Heartwarmers to Nightmares: Cannes Had It All

On the lighter side, "Club Kid" — the feature debut of Jordan Firstman — took the Croisette by storm. This A24-acquired gem follows Peter, a NYC party-boy who discovers he has a 10-year-old son named Arlo (played by newcomer Reggie Absolom) he never knew about. The resulting father-son dynamic is hilarious and heartwarming, and after a heated bidding war, A24 snatched it up. Expect big things when it hits theaters.

For something completely wild, Quentin Dupieux delivered "Full Phil," a one-hour-and-18-minute fever dream starring Kristen Stewart as Madeleine, a woman who can't stop eating — while her father Phil (played by Woody Harrelson) watches his own stomach balloon in response. Set in riot-plagued Paris with Charlotte Le Bon as an overzealous hotel employee, it's been described as "Emily in Paris meets The White Lotus" on a nightmare bender. Not for everyone, but absolutely unforgettable.

And rounding out the top five is Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "All of a Sudden," which earned the festival's longest standing ovation — an emotional 11 minutes — and has become one of the most talked-about Palme d'Or contenders of the year.

The Palme d'Or winner will be announced at tonight's awards ceremony. Which film do you think deserves the top prize? Drop your predictions below!