“El” (1953)
Luis Buñuel’s now-revered story of an unraveling romance was initially met with derision from war veterans who were supporting another film in competition, “La vie passionnée de Clémenceau. —WE
45 Great Films Booed at Cannes, from ‘L’Avventura’ to ‘Okja’
For many filmmakers, boos at Cannes are a rite of passage.
Christian Zilko
More stories by Christian
"Marie Antoinette," "L'Avventura," "Irreversible," "Okja"
Everett Collection
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in May 2017 and has been updated as of May 2022.
No event is more committed to advocating for film to be seen as a legitimate art form than the Cannes Film Festival. From its highly selective programming that highlights of some of the boldest visionaries in the world, to its audiences who carefully guard the festival’s reputation, Cannes is a true bastion of cinema.
But that combination of bold programming and passionate audiences comes with a cost. Polarizing films are frequently met with choruses of boos after they premiere, either as a result of poor reception, offensive subject matter, or a beloved director falling short of high expectations. Booing even helps the festival’s mission of legitimizing cinema as an art form, because the negative reactions to certain films make the positive reactions mean more.
For many great filmmakers, being booed at Cannes is a rite of passage. The reaction does not always mean a film was bad — to the contrary, many booed films have gone on to win the Palme d’Or. From Italian neorealist classics to beloved Quentin Tarantino films, we’ve rounded up 45 films that polarized audiences on the Croisette.
William Earl contributed to this story.
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Image Credit: Divisa Ediciones -
“L’Avventura” (1960)
Image Credit: Cino Del Duca One of Michelangelo Antonioni’s finest films, “L’Avventura” was decidedly ahead of its time, and was booed by attendees who were bothered by his bold, forward-thinking filmmaking. —We
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“L’Eclisse” (1962)
Image Credit: Cineriz Michelangelo Antonioni’s final film in his trilogy including “L’Avventura” and “La Notte” won the Special Jury Prize at the festival in 1962, but critics were still vocally dismissive. —WE
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“Gertrud” (1964)
Image Credit: Criterion Carl Theodor Dreyer’s drama split the audience at its Cannes debut, and reportedly the director flipped off dissenters in the crowd. —WE
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“Mademoiselle” (1966)
Image Credit: Lopert Pictures Corporation Tony Richardson’s story of a woman terrorizing a French village was misunderstood by its audience, and though critical reevaluation has embraced this antihero, it was not received warmly at Cannes. —WE
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“Seconds” (1966)
Image Credit: Paramount John Frankenheimer directed a never-better Rock Hudson in this bold sci-fi vision, but it proved to be a bit strange for some of the Cannes audience. —WE
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“The Mother and the Whore” (1973)
Image Credit: New Yorker Films Jean Eustache’s sexually provocative debut feature earned boos from Cannes and ushered in a new era of directors who wished to push boundaries at the fest. —WE
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“La Grande Bouffe” (1973)
Image Credit: Euro-Centra Film Marco Ferreri’s wild satire concerns a group of men who plan to eat themselves to death. Needless to say, the film was considered to be in bad taste to many in the audience and was met with a mixed reaction, even though it has since become a cult classic.
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“Taxi Driver” (1976)
Image Credit: Columbia Martin Scorsese‘s brilliant meditation on violence was considered to be too grisly by many attendees and started conversations about decency after it was greeted with a chorus of boos. —WE
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“L’argent” (1983)
Image Credit: MK2 Diffusion Robert Bresson’s complex investigation of money’s influence on society is widely considered to be a masterpiece but was seen as obtuse by many of the director’s detractors who booed at its premiere. —WE
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“Under the Sun of Satan” (1987)
Image Credit: Everett Collection At Cannes, the road to winning a Palme d’Or is often paved with boos. Maurice Pialat’s faith drama ultimately took home the festival’s top prize, but it received a chorus of boos after its first screening. The film’s religious subject matter may have polarized certain audience members, though the jury had no problems with it. —CZ
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“Sweetie” (1989)
Image Credit: Avenue Jane Campion is one of film’s most revered auteurs now, but the Cannes audience hadn’t yet warmed to her style when they gave “Sweetie” the cold shoulder. —WE
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“Wild at Heart” (1990)
Image Credit: Samuel Goldwyn Company By mixing a brash filmmaking style with horrific violence, David Lynch’s film inspired a lot of dissent, even as it went on to win the Palme d’Or. —WE
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“The Voice Of The Moon” (1990)
Image Credit: Arrow Films Federico Fellini’s last film, this semi-improvised comedy was considered dull by audience members and remains a footnote in the master director’s filmography.
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“Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” (1992)
Image Credit: New Line Cinema Yet another divisive David Lynch feature, this “Twin Peaks” prequel has been largely reevaluated as another one of his masterpieces, but was alienating at the fest due to surrealistic imagery and cruel violence. —WE
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“Pulp Fiction” (1994)
Image Credit: Miramax Another Palme d’Or winner with a mixed reception, Quentin Tarantino’s classic received the bulk of its boos after it beat Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Three Colors: Red.” —WE
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“Crash” (1996)
Image Credit: Alliance David Cronenberg’s amazingly bonkers film about a group of people who get an erotic thrill from car crashes was divisive mainly due to its outré concept, and the graphic sex and violence that happens as a result. Despite the controversy, it still won the Special Jury Prize. —WE
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“The Idiots” (1998)
Image Credit: Odeon Films Lars von Trier’s dark comedy focused on a group of friends who pretend to have mental disabilities in order to have more fun in their lives. Understandably, many in the audience thought the film to be in extremely bad taste, and screenings reportedly grew quite heated. –WE
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“Irreversible” (2002)
Image Credit: Lions Gate Films Gaspar Noé’s psychological horror film is filled with hard-to-watch sexual scenes and violence, including a graphic rape. Many critics questioned the artistic value. —WE
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“Dancer In the Dark” (2000)
Image Credit: Fine Line Features/courtesy Everett Collection When Lars von Trier debuts a film at Cannes, it’s safe to assume there will be some booing. The controversy-courting Danish director won the Palme d’Or for this musical about a factory worker losing her vision, but per usual, his polarizing style elicited plenty of boos as well. —CZ
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“The Brown Bunny” (2003)
Image Credit: Wellspring Vincent Gallo’s motorcycle road trip tale was widely mocked for a pretentious, dull style, as well as an indulgent unsimulated oral sex scene with Chloe Sevigny. —WE
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“Tropical Malady” (2004)
Image Credit: Strand Releasing Although it won the Jury Prize, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s signature measured pacing alienated some viewers, who left early and scoffed at the drama. —WE
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“Marie Antoinette” (2006)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures Sofia Coppola’s pop tribute to France’s notorious royal rubbed many the wrong way, making liberal rewrites of history to tell a larger tale of the bourgeoisie. Nevertheless, the film is a cult favorite that ranks among Coppola’s strongest works. —WE
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“Southland Tales” (2006)
Image Credit: Samuel Goldwyn Films Richard Kelly’s “Donnie Darko” follow-up was nearly universally panned upon release, with a mystifying blend of genres and ideas mashed up into a hard-to-navigate universe. Time has been kinder to the film, as it’s gained a following as an ambitious, if overstuffed, exercise in creativity. —WE
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“The Da Vinci Code” (2006)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures Ron Howard’s adaptation of the blockbuster novel left audiences howling, thanks to Tom Hanks unfortunate wig and some terribly wooden dialogue. Cannes was an odd choice to debut this popcorn flick. —WE
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“We Own the Night” (2007)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures This solid, if not overly creative, James Gray crime film struck some at Cannes as derivitive, and they expressed their dissatisfaction audibly. —WE
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“Palermo Shooting” (2008)
Image Credit: Senator Film Wim Wenders’ globetrotting drama was nothing to write home about for many in attendance, who walked out early and voiced frustration with the slow-paced film. —WE
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“Taking Woodstock” (2009)
Image Credit: Focus Features Ang Lee’s light comedy about the iconic music festival was too slight for audiences who expected more from the auteur, and the negative buzz started quickly. —WE
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“Inglourious Basterds” (2009)
Image Credit: TWC Though it was a huge hit with nearly unanimous critical acclaim, perhaps the Cannes crowd that booed this film had unrealistic expectations of Quentin Tarantino. —WE
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“Antichrist” (2009)
Image Credit: IFC Films Horrific and surreal, Lars von Trier’s meditation on grief split audiences, with bizarre scenes such as the infamous talking fox eliciting audible derision. Nevertheless, the film has a strong cult following. —WE
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“Enter the Void” (2009)
Image Credit: IFC Films Gaspar Noé’s bold style is not for everyone, and with “Enter the Void,” the director made it clear that he compromises for no one. The trippy experimental drama divided audiences at Cannes in 2009, where Noé presented a nearly three-hour rough cut of the film. It drew both boos and cheers, but the reworked version eventually became one of the best-received movies of the auteur’s career. —CZ
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“The Tree of Life“ (2011)
Image Credit: Fox Searchlight Widely considered a masterpiece in filmmaking, Terrence Malick’s examination of humanity spans the ages and is a beautiful film. That said, the meditative pace and ambitious scope seemed to alienate many in attendance, who were later silenced as the film won the Palme d’Or. —WE
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“The Beaver” (2011)
Image Credit: Summit Entertainment Mel Gibson’s first significant attempt at a post-meltdown career comeback, this Jodie Foster-helmed film was mocked for its absurdist premise, namely Gibson’s character having a breakdown and manifesting his grief through a puppet. —WE
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“Post Tenebras Lux” (2012)
Image Credit: NDMantarraya Carlos Reygadas’ examination of a rich couple moving to the country split opinions, as some in the audience thought it was a bold vision, while others found the narrative difficult to unravel. —WE
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“The Paperboy” (2012)
Image Credit: Millenium Films Lee Daniels’ pulpy peek into suburban sexuality often landed on the wrong side of camp, with audiences reacting strongly to scenes such as Nicole Kidman’s character urinating on a young man, played by Zac Efron. —WE
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“Heli” (2013)
Image Credit: Everett Collection Amat Escalante’s drug drama was Mexico’s official entry at the 86th Academy Awards and premiered in competition at Cannes, but the film’s response at the festival was less than stellar. Many felt that Escalante’s bleak portrayal of drug violence in Mexico left audiences with little to grasp onto, leading to boos at Cannes. —CZ
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“Only God Forgives” (2013)
Image Credit: Radius-TWC As with many of Nicolas Winding Refn’s films, audiences found this thriller to be heavy on style but light on substance, earning the film a negative initial reaction that has dogged it ever since. —WE
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“Grace of Monaco” (2014)
Image Credit: Gaumont This biopic was universally panned as a disaster that didn’t do its subject proud, and ultimately skipped a theatrical debut in America, premiering on Lifetime. Yikes. —WE
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“Lost River” (2014)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Ryan Gosling was accused of wearing his influences (including David Lynch and frequent collaborator Nicolas Winding Refn) on his sleeve in his directorial debut, without fusing them into a cohesive narrative. The boos effectively buried the film into obscurity. —WE
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“The Sea of Trees” (2015)
Image Credit: A24 A dull misfire from Gus Van Sant that inspired laughter and heckling in its Cannes debut. —WE
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“The Neon Demon” (2016)
Image Credit: Amazon Studios This Nicolas Winding Refn horror film, a violent and surreal examination of the modeling industry, was destined to cultivate a following. However, the Cannes premiere ended with many in the audience shouting at the screen in disgust. —WE
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“Personal Shopper” (2016)
Image Credit: IFC Olivier Assayas’ ghost story received a mixed reaction initially, likely due to the film’s impressionistic special effects and measured storyline. But critics were kind to the film, especially fawning over star Kristen Stewart. —WE
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“The Killing of the Sacred Deer” (2017)
Image Credit: A24 Yorgos Lanthimos’ horror movie has sparked plenty of enthusiasm from critics, but there was reportedly a smattering of boos at the premiere. —WE
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“Okja” (2017)
Image Credit: Netflix Though Bong Joon-ho’s film was warmly received, there were two rounds of boos before it even started: one when the Netflix logo first appeared onscreen, and a second once a tech glitch temporarily stopped the screening. —WE
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“The Last Face” (2016)
Image Credit: ©Saban Int'l/Courtesy Everett Collection Sean Penn directed this drama about two humanitarian volunteers who fall in love while working in West Africa. It received an overwhelmingly negative response at Cannes, with many being offended by the film’s use of human suffering as simply background material for a standard romance story. —CZ
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