I can't say whether or not L'Enfant deserved last year's Palme D'Or, but after watching it, the word that comes to mind is "lean". The Dardenne brothers managed to grasp the essentials of the story and express them without frills. No music, fine attention to sound, lighting and movement, no fancy camerawork -- mostly close-ups and tracking shots from the back, tight dialogue and editing. Every film student and budding director should be made to watch this, as an example of effective filmmaking -- of the power of getting film basics right.

On the other hand, Kinky Boots was utterly formulaic. Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance is the only saving grace here - the drag queen Lola gets the best lines, but Ejiofor makes them sparkle with sassiness, like his "two-and-a-half-feet of tubular sex" rant. Unfortunately, everyone else is stuck in their cardboard roles.

On a side note, a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes may or may not have been hurt in the making of this film.