10 Films Booed At Cannes That Went On To Win Many Awards

Still a divisive film even today, people fall in to two camps now as they did during its Cannes premiere, where many people booed and just as many vociferously celebrated one of the most beautiful, intelligent films ever made.

The boo camp saw that Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain were in the film and they expected a linear narrative more about characters than deep philosophical musings about our place in the universe. Naturally they hated the film; it was mostly above their heads.

The bravo camp got it. They saw what Malick was achieving on screen and it opened their minds immeasurably – films like that are rare; the type of films where you will not be the same, for the better, once it is over.

Notable Accolades:

A darling of the critics, the film did however struggle to find a mainstream audience. However it was nominated for three Academy Awards, and practically swept the board at New York, L.A. and the National Critics Awards.

This is especially worth noting because the critics awards are usually key guides of who will pick up the Oscars, unless, as was the case with The Tree of Life, there is disjunction between critic and audience opinion.