Boo first, applaud later: 12 Cannes cult classics that outlived the jeers

Tatler Asia

7 days ago

2. 'Dancer in the Dark' (2000)
Lars von Trier has a long, messy relationship with Cannes, and Dancer in the Dark is his most operatic offence. This heartbreaking musical stars Björk as a blind factory worker saving up for her son's eye surgery. Between tearjerking tragedies and abrupt, dreamlike musical numbers, audiences were split—some moved to tears, others to the exits. The Palme d'Or win didn't silence the sceptics, but in time, its raw emotion, jagged beauty and Björk's once-in-a-lifetime performance cemented its status as one of the strangest, saddest musicals ever made. 3. 'Crash' (1996)
Not to be confused with the Oscar-winning drama of the same name, this David Cronenberg film is about car crash fetishists. Based on the J.G. Ballard novel, Crash features James Spader and Holly Hunter in a world where mangled metal equals erotic thrill. When it screened at Cannes, audience members reportedly fled the theatre in disgust, and one jury member called it 'the most repulsive film' he'd ever seen. Naturally, it's now a cult classic—studied, fetishised and deeply respected as a bold examination of modern alienation and obsession. 4. 'The Neon Demon' (2016)
Nicolas Winding Refn's blood-soaked, neon-lit descent into the fashion industry might as well have come with a 'Viewer Discretion Advised' warning. Elle Fanning stars as an aspiring model who becomes the target of envy, violence and possibly supernatural forces. At Cannes, the film's cannibalism, necrophilia and vacant stares drew audible gasps and widespread mockery. But over time, its high-gloss aesthetic and unflinching nihilism found its tribe. Now, it lives on in mood boards and horror-film retrospectives as goth couture gold. 5. 'The Tree of Life' (2011)
Terrence Malick's metaphysical epic, featuring dinosaurs, galactic wombs and Jessica Chastain twirling in sunlight, was booed by audiences who just wanted a linear story, or at least a clear point. Instead, they got a meditation on grief, grace and the cosmos. Brad Pitt plays a strict 1950s father, while Sean Penn wanders through modern architecture looking confused. The film was either an existential masterpiece or a pretentious snoozefest, depending on who you asked. A decade later, it's lauded as one of the most ambitious films of the 21st century. This is definitely one of the most memorable Cannes cult classics. 6. 'Southland Tales' (2006)
After the success of Donnie Darko , Richard Kelly went full apocalypse in this chaotic messiah satire starring Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott and Justin Timberlake lip-syncing to The Killers in a military uniform. Cannes audiences weren't impressed. It was long, incoherent and drowning in references to everything from Revelations to reality TV. The boos were deafening. But in hindsight, Southland Tales reads like a prophecy—one that predicted the era of influencer politics and media collapse. It's a misunderstood fever dream turned Cannes cult classic. 7. 'L'Avventura' (1960)
Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura might be the OG of Cannes boos. A woman disappears during a Mediterranean yachting trip, but no one really tries that hard to find her. Instead, the remaining characters drift into existential malaise and complicated affairs. Viewers in 1960 were outraged. Where's the plot? Where's the resolution? But that's the point. What was once called boring is now recognised as revolutionary. It broke the rules of narrative and gave mood as story. Today, it's a textbook staple for film students and arthouse lovers. 8. 'Inglourious Basterds' (2009)
When Quentin Tarantino returned to Cannes with this revisionist WWII flick, not everyone was thrilled by the sight of Hitler getting shot in a burning movie theatre. Some critics were uneasy with its gleeful violence and alternate history. But others saw brilliance in Christoph Waltz's turn as a charmingly cruel Nazi and the film's operatic tension. Despite early grumbles, Inglourious Basterds became a critical and commercial hit—and another entry in Tarantino's long list of genre-bending cult masterpieces. 9. 'The House That Jack Built' (2018)
Only Lars von Trier could turn serial killing into a philosophical monologue. In this deeply polarising horror film, Matt Dillon plays Jack, a murderer who sees his crimes as art. The audience? Not so sure. With graphic violence, disturbing imagery and a finale that literally ends in Hell, over 100 Cannes attendees walked out. Still, for those who stayed, the film offered a provocative and chilling examination of art, cruelty and the male ego. Uncomfortable? Absolutely. Unforgettable? Even more so.
See more: 5 cult classic movies that are so bad, they're good 10. 'The Brown Bunny' (2003)
The boos were biblical. Vincent Gallo's slow, minimal road film—with an infamous scene with Chloë Sevigny—was the scandal of Cannes. Critics pounced, with Roger Ebert calling it one of the worst films ever screened at the festival. Gallo, never one to shy away from drama, fired back. Years later, a re-edited version emerged, and some began to see it differently: a meditative, melancholy look at guilt and male fragility. Still divisive, but undeniably unforgettable. 11. 'Marie Antoinette' (2006)
Sofia Coppola dared to punk-rock Versailles. Set to New Order and Bow Wow Wow, her pastel-soaked portrayal of France's most infamous teen royal (played with vacant charm by Kirsten Dunst) was met with chilly disdain at Cannes. Audiences wanted powdered wigs; Coppola gave them Converse sneakers and ennui. But years later, Marie Antoinette is beloved for exactly that, a cotton-candy rebellion that made historical fiction chic again. This film is well beyond a list of Cannes cult classics. 12. 'Only God Forgives' (2013)
Nicolas Winding Refn reunited with Ryan Gosling post- Drive for this Thai neon fever dream, but the reception at Cannes was anything but romantic. The film, featuring Gosling as a near-mute boxer avenging his brother's death, was booed for being ultra-violent, glacially slow and proudly opaque. But style-wise? It's jaw-dropping. As time passed, its hypnotic visuals, synth soundtrack and Kristen Scott Thomas's terrifying mother-from-hell performance have earned it a strange, silent cult following.