Film festival feedback

Some triumphed on the Croisette, some left with a stale croissant. Here, the list from winners to losers.

Changeling
The Angelina Jolie period flick — briefly called The Exchange — earned a special prize for director Clint Eastwood. Now all it needs is a final title in time for an end-of-year release.

Che
Benicio Del Toro won a best actor award, but some reviews deemed Steven Soderbergh’s Spanish-language biopic unreleasable in its current two-part, nearly four-and-a-half-hour form.

Two Lovers
Despite A-list stars Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, most distributors considered the urban romance unworthy of its rumored $5 million asking price.

Synecdoche, New York
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut about a neurotic theater director (Philip Seymour Hoffman) left audiences depressed and confused.

What Just Happened?
A new edit of the Sundance flop played slightly better in Cannes. Still, it will likely get only limited distribution from the indie house Magnolia, owned by the film’s producers.