The Palme D’Or never means much in terms of U.S. box-office, but at least bestows a stamp of esteem amogn critics. The winner, as everyone has acknwoledged, will be either Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu ‘s Babel or Pedro Almodovar‘s Volver. I’m a Babel guy but there’ll be no fretting whichever way it goes. Pedro’s film is about women, warmth and family, but it disappointed me a bit when it gave up the ghost, so to speak. Alejandro’s is also about family (in a more strained and anguished sense), but it’s a fuller, more complex and penetrating work. Both are superbly made.
