From a gloomy tale of smalltown mayhem to bittersweet family sagas and a gut-wrenching prison drama, Cannes 2003 has showcased an eclectic bunch of films.
But with only three days and a handful more movies to go before Sunday's awards ceremony, critics say nothing stands out as an obvious winner of the coveted Palme d'Or.
"I honestly don't have the slightest idea at this stage," said Todd McCarthy of Variety magazine. "It's been very disappointing. Last year, in comparison, was very strong."
Danish director Lars von Trier's "Dogville" is a frontrunner, but not everyone raved about the lugubrious three-hour saga, narrated against a bare stage set with minimal props, and his previous Cannes awards may weigh against him.
Some back "Carandiru," Hector Babenco's fast-paced look at the horrors of life inside what was Latin America's biggest jail before it was bulldozed last year.
Based on the true experiences of a prison doctor, many were moved by Argentinian Babenco's portrayal of cruelty, drug abuse, AIDS and revenge killings inside the overcrowded jail.
The loudest applause greeted the French-Canadian weepie "The Barbaric Invasions," though the story of a professor's estranged family and friends clustering round his deathbed may be too mainstream for a festival in love with arthouse movies.
Intellectuals loved Turkish entry "Uzak," a powerful study of how a world-weary Istanbul man's home life is upset when a jobless cousin moves in and invades his cherished privacy.
Film magazine Screen International's jury of 10 experts is currently ranking "Dogville" as the leader, with "Uzak" second.
"Dogville is certainly looming over everything, but how it plays out with the jury is hard to say," McCarthy said.
"Carandiru seems like a middle bet and Barbaric Invasions should get something simply because it was pleasing. And I can see Uzak getting the director's prize or jury favorite."
Another crowd-pleaser was Francois Ozon's "Swimming Pool," a psychological thriller starring Sixties icon Charlotte Rampling as a fusty English writer rediscovering her femininity as she observes a nubile young woman staying in the same house.
But there could be some last-minute surprises with keenly awaited films from maverick British director Peter Greenaway and Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood still to come.
"This year has been really flat compared to previous festivals. There have been fewer parties and nothing has stood out that much among the films I've seen," grumbled one critic.
Indeed, the main scandal this year was the graphic oral sex scene in Vincent Gallo's road movie "The Brown Bunny."
The scene does not save the movie, however. Critics guffawed at its pretentious screenplay and booed Gallo at a tempestuous news conference. Screen International has ranked it lowest.
(Agencies via Xinhua May 25, 2003)
