With the awards handed out and the red carpet rolled up, we know who the official Cannes 2019 winners are. But the pressing question is: what stood out for Letterboxd ?

With so many of you in attendance, we’ve plundered your reviews and ratings to confidently deduce a completely unofficial, non-verifiable yet utterly impressive list of the top 10 dramatic premieres at Cannes.

Regular readers already know of Rocketman really doesn’t need our help (it opens in cinemas round the world this week), which is why they’re not on the list.

So, with the help of our roving correspondent Letterboxd’s top ten Cannes premieres for 2019.

Parasite (기생충)

Written and directed by Bong Joon-Ho

In awarding Parasite the Palme d’Or, the Cannes jury merely affirmed what Letterboxd already knew: the latest by Korean director Bong was the hands-down best entry in the competition, stealing the limelight not only from Quentin Tarantino (whose film premiered on the same day) but a star-studded directors lineup.

Stina Beana Wood sums it up: “It’s slick, it’s smart, it’s Bong flexing his cinematic strength with unparalleled precision… I lol’ed many a time… and finally, was left with the satisfaction of a sensational, social-status-satire story.”

While you’re waiting for Parasite to hit your shores, be sure to avoid spoilers per the director’s request. In the meantime, here’s a list of films personally selected by Bong to get you in the mood for Parasite!

The Lighthouse

Written and directed by Robert Eggers

One of the impossible-to-get tickets of Cannes 2019 premiered in Directors’ Fortnight, in part because of anticipation of the new film from the director of The Witch and in part because of the presence of the rumored new Batman himself.

Our Cannes correspondent was shut out despite waiting 90 minutes in the rain, but those with even more dedication found their efforts duly rewarded, like Blaise Radley: “I queued for four hours to see this, and knew it had been worthwhile within the opening four minutes. Stark, dizzying, stomach-churning—this is a surprisingly different beast to The Witch, but it’s in exactly the same tier… Needless to say, Dafoe and Pattinson are phenomenal.”

Letterboxd member notmckinzie was Carol.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino

The hottest ticket in town became even hotter after Tarantino canceled the traditional last-day re-screening in order to re-edit the film, meaning those lucky few who got in will be the only ones ever to see this cut. Its detractors called it meandering, but fans loved getting lost in its reverie of 1969 Hollywood. Take Lou Hicks: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is wonderful. It’s like Tarantino is just dreamily reminiscing for our benefit. Feels innocent somehow—lovely, pure, hilarious, charming.”

Atlantics (Atlantique)

Directed by Mati Diop

Even before Mati Diop’s freshman feature screened, she was assured of making history, as the first black woman in Cannes Competition. But her otherworldly seaside tale cast a spell on the 4pm audience, earning a lengthy standing ovation, and jury were equally rapt. It was, as Chin Lin Gan writes : “An awe-inspiring, disciplined, rigorous and terrifying piece of work [that] operates on a hypnotic and almost occult powerful mode of storytelling that makes you think of folk-tales that grip generations and generations.”

Sorry We Missed You

Directed by Ken Loach

British activist Loach has long been a staple of the Cannes competition, but for both veteran fans and those new to Loach, his cautionary tale about precarious lives in the gig-economy resonated, not only as one of his strongest films but one of the strongest of the festival. Sebastian Chan heralded it as: “Brilliant, powerful stuff from Ken Loach … Funny, heartbreaking and eye opening; this is one of those must see films.”

And Then We Danced (და ჩვენ ვიცეკვეთ)

Written and directed by Levan Akin

declaring it: “Stunning and incredibly moving. Love poured out of every shot. Films like this are the reason I wanted to come to Cannes.”

The absurdist creator of summarize: “A hilariously odd and an oddly hilarious film about a divorced, worn-out man (the amazing Jean Dujardin channeling Colin Farrell in The Lobster) who becomes obsessed with a deerskin leather jacket that seems to have a mind of its own.”

Papicha

Written and directed by Mounia Meddour Gens

declared it: “The best film I watched in Cannes. Absolutely loved it. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful. I walked into the screening not really knowing what to expect, but I was mind blown.”