In summary, then, here are the films I saw at the festival this year, ranked in order from favourite to least favourite:
1. Machuca, 10/10
2. Paths of Glory, 10/10 - no boy character
3. Dias de campo, 9/10 - no boy character
4. Dear Frankie, 9/10
5. Viper in the Fist, 8/10
6. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, 8/10 - no boy character
7. Cold Light, 8/10
8. Gas Bar Blues, 7/10
9. The Story of Adèle H, 7/10 - no major boy character
10. Edelweiss Pirates, 6/10
11. Sugar Orange, 5/10
12. Beat the Drum, 5/10
13. Paper Doves, 4/10
14. The Crying Wind, 4/10
15. Fellini Roma, 3/10 - no major boy character
16. The Best Thief in the World, 2/10
Most impressive performance by a boy actor: Jules Sitruk in
Viper in the FistFavourite boy character: Frankie in
Dear FrankieSpecial award for best-looking boy actor: TIE: Ariel Mateluna in
Machuca and Áslákur Ingvarsson in
Cold Light (both boys also gave excellent performances)
Favourite moment of the festival: Shaking Jules Sitruk's hand after the screening of
Viper in the Fist (special thanks to Zabladowski for urging me to overcome my shyness and go say hi to him)
And that was my experience at this year's festival. Overall, a much more satisfying than last year. I had a good time with Zab and saw some good movies. Already looking forward to next year.