I express my solidarity with Spain in the current situation of illegal migration in Ceuta.

On the way home from Karlovy Vary, a visit with my high-school chum Christopher Cook, who lives in Prague, is always in order. Here, at our regular haunt, Andêlský pivovar, I direct Christopher’s gaze to the tripod-mounted camera while enumerating the quirks of its Soviet Helios 44-2 lens.

𝙈𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 (Vladena Sandu, 2025), an engrossing masterpiece of cinema, laments the betrayal, on many levels, of the innocence, trust, and good faith of children. #KVIFF60

𝙁𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙂𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 (Aung Phyoe, 2026), a window on Myanmar, tells of an asymmetrical emotional relationship. In keeping with something of a theme at this year’s festival, it is also a sensitive rendering of Proustian childhood memories. #KVIFF60

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙠-𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙗 (Yashasvi Juyal, 2026) is an obscure, glacially pensive take on reincarnation and the space-time continuum. It’s perhaps a bit too infatuated with its own (undeniably lovely) photography. #KVIFF60

𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙩 (Cecil Holmes, 1952) is a western set in mid-19th C Australia. The bad guys are a sadistic cop, a corrupt judge, and an egomaniacal fat cat who grumbles about America having gone mad with DEI and wokeness under Lincoln. #KVIFF60

Maybe 𝙇𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 (Rhayne Vermette, 2025) is a legend about a solar eclipse experienced by an astronomically naive society in a vaguely modern era. It’s hard to say. #KVIFF60

𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙙𝙨, 𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙨 (Juraj Jakubisko, 1969) is an anarchic, nihilistic, and ultimately tragic cry of “What have I got to lose?!” #KVIFF60

𝘽𝙖𝙗𝙞́ 𝙡𝙚́𝙩𝙤/𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣 𝙎𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 (Vladimir Michálek, 2001). A harmless romp about madcap old codgers who alternately mock death and rue its imminence. Well-played, with an interesting theatrical angle to it, but you know the routine. #KVIFF60

So I’m in the audience for 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 (Sandra Wollner, 2026), and just when I’m thinking Cannes is getting a little too generous in doling out its 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴, things go all Twilight Zone. #KVIFF60

𝙊𝙗𝙯̌𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙮́/𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙩 (Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, 1964) affirms the fragile durability of trust and practicality when confronted with power, opportunistic posturing, and perverse interpretations of ideology. #KVIFF60

𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 (Kristina Grozeva and Peter Valchanov, 2026) suggests that assuming everybody’s on the take breeds a heady cynicism that might give you a rush, but eventually exacts a greater toll than the corruption itself. Oh, but be careful in picking your travel agent. #KVIFF60

𝙈𝙮 𝙒𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 (Angela Schanelec, 2026) is like 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙗𝙖𝙙, except it’s in color, and people are in workplaces, in city parks, riding bicycles, and in houses. #KVIFF60

𝙉𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙨 (Júlia Coldwell Serra, 2025) advises, with a degree of charm but in no uncertain terms, against sugarcoating the truth. #KVIFF60

𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙤𝙣’𝙨 𝙃𝙖𝙩 (Arnas Balčiūnas, 2025) unforgettably measures the gulf between shared memories. #KVIFF60

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 (Jozo Schmuch, 2025) is a history lesson in the form of a delicate story of the endurance, even beyond death, of longing and nostalgia; of remembering, for instance, that an article of clothing came from Trieste. #KVIFF60

So now millions of football fans around the world view the US as cheaters who used political corruption to influence FIFA and we lose anyway. So much winning. When’s the next war?

If you’re drawn, as I am, to hotels for which the Tripadvisor reviews say “past its prime” and “needs updating,” here’s the backstory. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙪𝙧 (Gastón Solnicki, 2025) #KVIFF60

𝙆𝙞𝙢 𝙉𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙠’𝙨 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙤 (Alexandre O. Philippe, 2025) presents us with a self-possessed, accomplished painter who gave acting a fling, and was quite good at it. Ms. Novak’s explication of her acting style and her role in 𝙋𝙞𝙘𝙣𝙞𝙘 are especially valuable. #KVIFF60

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 (Leopold Lindtberg, 1945) tells of escapees from Fascism, both military and civilian, in the ambiguous Italy of late WWII. Their polyglot community’s inspiring unity, fraught journey, and placement at the mercy of the Swiss relates to current issues of migration and refuge. #KVIFF60

𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙁𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 (Ildikó Enyedi, 2025) is an uncommonly beautiful production about academe, photography, and plant psychology (sic). #KVIFF60

In Emersonian terms, is Miloš Šejn a Materialist or an Idealist? I’d say that, defying convention, his heart is in the former camp; his head in the latter. 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙏𝙤 (Jakub Kučera, 2026) #KVIFF60

I’m a 𝙍𝙞𝙤 𝙀𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙤 guy. The blood-and-projectile films of 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨𝙤𝙣: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 (Jana Hojdová, 2026) don’t move me. What this estimable biographical documentary tells me is that there’s a special place in a Richardson film for those who don’t ditch their iPhones in movies. #KVIFF60

There are coincidences in the plot of 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙖 (Kaneto Shindō, 1952) that, “on paper,” are unlikely. The film’s strength is that rather than coming across as contrivances, they are realistic as somber, inevitable turns in lives that have been profoundly disrupted. #KVIFF60

𝙍𝙞𝙤 𝙀𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙤 (Emilio Fernández, 1948) is propaganda of the highest order, marshaling emotional and intellectual credibility in the service of humane values. An egotistical strongman loses his grip. The audience leaves prepared to fight for education and enact social justice. #KVIFF60

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙚 (Mike Nichols, 1967) spoke volumes this time. Take the music. Previously, I thought the sound track gimmicky. But, no. Bookending with “Sounds of Silence” solitude; “Parsley, Sage…” for the yearning and the chase; “Mrs. Robinson” tune subtly surfacing throughout. Brilliant. #KVIFF60

The Yemen of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 (Sara Ishaq, 2026) is the realized dream of Ministers of Conflict everywhere: effusive piety, cartoonish manliness, sleeve-worn patriotism, hourly buzzing by fighter jets, routine kidnapping of adolescents, and purging of pointy-headed book-learning in the schools. #KVIFF60

Rapid, rich dialogue, its references to politics, philosophy and literature sly, sincere and slashing, keeps 𝘼 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 (Powell and Pressburger, 1946) constantly charging ahead. And folks, that opening exchange by radio between David Niven and Kim Hunter gets me every time. #KVIFF60

𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙮 (Konrad Wolf, 1957) is a cautionary tale about how petty ethnic/class grievances and the price of eggs can cause seemingly normal people to fall for a power-mad crackpot who vows to make the country great again. #KVIFF60

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝘿𝙞𝙜𝙨 𝘽𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙀𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙨 (Grant Gee, 2026) illustrates the collateral damage of wounded preoccupation. #KVIFF60