Écran Large flags Minotaure as contender

Écran Large’s May 21 review put Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaure” into the late-stage Cannes awards conversation, calling the film a “shock thriller” and describing it as headed toward the Palme d’Or. The review landed as the 79th Cannes Film Festival entered its final day before the prizes, with the official competition still unfinished and critics trying to sort a crowded field. Festival de Cannes materials list “Minotaure” in Competition and describe the film as set in Russia in 2022, following a middle-class family whose life collapses into violence. ### Why did “Minotaure” move into the race this late? Écran Large published its review on Thursday, May 21, under the headline that it had seen “Minotaure,” “the shock thriller on the road to the Palme d’or.” The outlet described the film as a marital thriller set against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war and said it looked like a serious awards threat. (ecranlarge.com) Festival de Cannes said this week that Zvyagintsev returned to Competition with “Minotaur,” after previously serving on the feature-film jury in 2018. The festival’s own synopsis says the film follows Gleb, a prosperous businessman living with his wife Galina and their son in a provincial city as professional strain and a destabilized world push the family toward violence. (ecranlarge.com) ### What is the film actually about? Festival de Cannes says “Minotaur” is set in 2022, in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and frames the war as background to a domestic story. The festival also said Zvyagintsev, a Russian filmmaker, “has always been against” the war. Écran Large characterized the picture as a thriller rather than a conventional political drama. (festival-cannes.com) That matters at Cannes because the Competition often mixes overtly political films with more genre-driven entries, and late critical momentum can shift quickly once screenings are complete. That assessment of momentum is an inference from the timing of the review and the state of the lineup, not a festival judgment. ### How close is Cannes to the finish? Cult reported on Friday, May 22, that the festival had reached the point where only three Competition films remained before Saturday night’s awards ceremony. The outlet said its predictions were being made while waiting for the closing ceremony and final palmarès of the 79th edition. (ecranlarge.com) The official festival site says the 79th edition runs from May 12 to May 23, 2026. Cult separately reported that the prizes will be handed out on Saturday, May 23, and the festival site says the feature-film jury is chaired by Park Chan-wook. ### Who decides whether “Minotaure” actually wins? Festival de Cannes said Park Chan-wook is leading the 2026 feature-film jury. (cult.news) The other jurors are Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Chloé Zhao, Diego Céspedes, Isaach De Bankolé, Paul Laverty and Stellan Skarsgård. Those jurors will choose among the Competition titles screened across the festival. “Minotaure” is one of the films in that lineup, according to the official selection announcement published on April 9. (cult.news) ### Where does Rami Malek fit into the same Cannes moment? TF1 Info reported from Cannes that Rami Malek said, “Freddie Mercury will help me for the rest of my days,” while promoting “The Man I Love.” The remark kept Malek in the festival conversation even as attention shifted toward the Palme d’Or race. (festival-cannes.com) Deadline’s Cannes reviews page said “The Man I Love” was among the titles drawing attention at the festival, and Vanity Fair framed its live coverage around events leading up to the Palme announcement. (festival-cannes.com) Together, those reports show how star-driven premieres and awards speculation were unfolding side by side in Cannes’ final stretch. Park Chan-wook’s jury is due to announce the winners on Saturday, May 23, at the closing ceremony of the 79th Festival de Cannes. (ecranlarge.com) Until then, “Minotaure” remains one of the late-breaking films critics have pushed into the Palme conversation, with the official result still pending. (festival-cannes.com) (deadline.com)