Venezia79: Take in the scenery

The 79th Venice Film Festival moves into its final half with most of the big names under its belt. Stars still pop up everywhere. I watched Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson masterfully play the red carpet last night, while this morning I brushed past Penelope Cruz and Luis Tosar on their way into a press conference. Despite ongoing predictions of thunderstorms, the skies remain clear, so the sun is very hot. While some of the screening cinemas feel like an icy Arctic wind tunnel. My schedule slows down as the week goes on, but not quite yet. Here are some more highlights...

The Banshees of Inisherin
dir-scr Martin McDonagh; with Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson 22/Ire ****.
With its focus on seemingly tiny, inconsequential events, this witty Irish drama is a sometimes startlingly vivid look at human interaction. Writer-director Martin McDonagh has an uncanny ability to sharply capture the ways people connect in small communities, while echoing much larger themes. So the characters and situations in this often absurdly funny film have continually surprising textures and weight, with a literal civil war taking place in the distance. And the contained story at the centre is almost criminally satisfying.

When the Waves Are Gone [Kapag Wala Na Ang Mga Alon]
dir-scr Lav Diaz; with John Lloyd Cruz, Ronnie Lazaro 22/Ph ****.
Filipino maestro Lav Diaz takes on his nation's shift after the 2016 election of Rodrigo Duterte. Filming in his usual silvery black and white, this three-hour drama feels almost brisk by Diaz's standards, with an extended length that weaves various story threads together into a pointed odyssey. At its core this is a moving take of redemption that's unblinking about the self-proclaimed guardians of morality. And as the plot's thriller angle develops, the film tightens its grip.

In Viaggio
dir-scr Gianfranco Rosi; with Pope Francis 22/It ***.
While this looks like perhaps a glowing doc about Pope Francis, master documentarian Gianfranco Rosi is too clever to play his hand. Using only archival footage, the film follows the pontiff as he crisscrosses the globe spreading a message of hope and pleading for justice and peace. But the editing and juxtapositions suggest a darker, much more provocative truth. How an audience member reads this material will depend perhaps on their preconceptions. But open-minded viewers might be in for a thoughtful surprise.

Wolf and Dog  [Lobo e Cão]
dir-scr Claudia Varejao; with Ana Cabral, Ruben Pimenta 22/Por ****
Set in the Azores archipelago, this strikingly visual slice of life is artfully shot in Academy ratio by cinematographer Rui Xavier, capturing gorgeous colours and textures. And writer-director Claudia Varejao assembles the film in a way that feels almost accidental, capturing tiny moments that add up to tell a larger story. This means that the narrative feels meandering and elusive, with only a few sharply pointed events. But this also offers the space for us to put ourselves into the situations and consider our reactions.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows VENICE FILM FESTIVAL page, eventually! 

Venezia79: Make it big

The 79th Venice Film Festival has powered through its first weekend, continuing an unusually strong lineup that is making it difficult to predict how the jury will award the winners on Saturday. I took much of Sunday off to roam around the city, eat too much food (including the three staples here: coffee, gelato and Aperol spritz) and watch the centuries-old traditional Regata Storica parade of elaborately decorated boats down the Grand Canal, followed by races between crews of standing rowers. Even so, I did see two films. Here are some highlights for Monday...

The Whale
dir Darren Aronofsky; with Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau 22/US ***.
Based on Samuel Hunter's play and retaining a stagey sense of claustrophobia, this extremely pointed drama is an unusually contained piece for Darren Aronofsky. It's a story about the power of people to impact each other for good and bad. And it is likely to divide viewers pretty much along lines of cynicism and optimism. Few viewers will be able to resist a startlingly winning performance from Brendan Fraser, even from within what's obviously an enormous fat suit. And the deeper ideas in the film deserve to strike a nerve.

Don't Worry Darling
dir Olivia Wilde; with Florence Pugh, Harry Styles 22/US ***
While this thriller is strikingly designed and directed, its story never quite digs deep enough to make the premise memorable. This is partly because the film harks back to far more nuanced variations on the theme, like The Truman Show or The Stepford Wives. But actor-director Olivia Wilde keeps things moving with a growing sense of intrigue, while deploying some properly dazzling imagery. And Florence Pugh delivers such a belting, involving central performance that everyone and everything around her pales by comparison.

Immensity [L'Immensità]
dir Emanuele Crialese; with Penelope Cruz, Luana Giuliani 22/It ****
There are lively ripples of meaning throughout this Italian drama, and because they are never shouted loudly they work their way under the skin. Recounting a clearly autobiographical story with evocative personal details, filmmaker Emanuele Crialese continues to be especially adept at isolating the identity of characters who are unable to be who they are in a society that crushes diversity. And it features a remarkably textured performance from young Luana Giuliani, who holds her own against the irresistible magic of Penelope Cruz.

Skin Deep [Aus Meiner Haut]
dir Alex Schaad; with Mala Emde, Jonas Dassler 22/Ger ****.
A sense of mystery infuses every scene in this film, with knowingly insinuating conversations and characters who clearly have tantalising secrets. And all of this is skilfully underplayed by the cast, while director Alex Schaad maintains an enticing visual sensibility that pulls the audience in further, even though the rather outrageous premise can be tricky to follow. Still, what the film has to say about how we define ourselves and each other is seriously profound, challenging us to take a fresh look at the human experience.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows VENICE FILM FESTIVAL page, eventually! 

Venezia79: Back to nature

The 79th Venice Film Festival continues under sunny skies, as we look for ways to enjoy the location even as we scurry between cinemas and press rooms. I've made a pact to at least have one gelato per day (handy that the festival has its own gelateria), but getting that first coffee in has been trickier with long queues everywhere. But then I also have two 15-minute walks through old Venice each day and 20 minutes on a vaporetto to get some lovely scenery and fresh air. And yes, I remember that I'm here to watch movies. Here are a few more highlights...

Master Gardener

dir-scr Paul Schrader; with Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver 22/US ***
With his usual provocations about accepted morality, Paul Schrader heads to the Deep South for an intriguing drama that plays with a range big ideas while remaining tantalisingly out of reach. The characters are complex and full of their own private secrets, which creates a sense of mystery as the plot dabbles with the elements of a thriller. But this leaves the film feeling eerily incomplete, simply because the people remain so opaque.

Argentina, 1985

dir Santiago Mitre; with Ricardo Darin, Peter Lanzani 22/Arg ****
Including a heavy dose of sharp humour in the screenplay helps make this rather momentous true story unusually accessible. So while it hinges on a procedural investigation and historical courtroom trial, director-cowriter Santiago Mitre continually reveals the humanity of the characters, pulling us in deeper. The case itself is harrowing, a landmark moment when a military dictatorship went on trial for its horrific crimes against the people.

Ordinary Failures [Běžná Selhání]

dir Cristina Grosan; with Tatjana Medvecka, Nora Klimesova 22/Cz ****
Set in the very near future, this Czech drama will be instantly identifiable to anyone who feels like they are barely hanging on amid the varied pressures in their lives. And in this case, the world literally is collapsing around the characters. With Klara Vlasakova's insightful satirical script and Cristina Grosan's glacially sharp directing, the film quietly provokes the audience with a series of injustices, deliberate and accidental. All of this combines gorgeously to create a riveting story that has an important, timely and deeply moving impact.

Eismayer

dir-scr David Wagner; with Gerhard Liebmann, Luka Dimic 22/Aut ***.
Based on true events, this Austrian drama traces an unexpected relationship between two men at a military service boot camp. Filmmaker David Wagner traces the narrative with remarkable focus, avoiding distracting subplots to bring out details and intimate feelings. It may seem a little simplistic, but it's fascinating to see a story like this in a place where men have to be tough, without emotions or weaknesses. And later, when power and bravado begin to shift, this becomes an inspiring exploration of honesty, resilience and tenacity.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows VENICE FILM FESTIVAL page, eventually! 

 

Venezia79: Time to refuel

The 79th Venice Film Festival continues to build pace, as today was Timothee Chalamet day, with fans following his every move around the Lido then screaming raucously as he walked the red carpet. His film caught us all by surprise this morning, with its grisly cannibalistic theme and warm centre, We were even more caught off guard by a barnstorming French film, which is my pick of the festival so far. Here are today's highlights...

Bones and All
dir Luca Guadagnino; with Taylor Russell, Timothee Chalamet 22/US ****
Essentially a romantic horror road movie, this offbeat drama delights in provoking the audience to extreme reactions with its vampiric premise. But it's also almost jarringly realistic, with authentic situations and characters who may not be likeable but are easy to sympathise with. Director Luca Guadagnino is always terrific at cutting through surfaces to find human connections and deeper societal truths. So while this film gets very grisly indeed, it remains surprisingly sweet.

Athena
dir Romain Gavras; with Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane 22/Fr *****
Blisteringly current, this feels like a story that is just about to happen in several places around the world, as social tensions erupt into all-out civil war. French filmmaker Romain Gavras is making an almost shockingly pointed political statement here, but the urgent and involving story centres on the much deeper emotional connections between three brothers at the epicentre of an epically violent standoff. The film is also skilfully directed with astonishing bravado, using long and exceptionally complex takes that are simply breathtaking.

A Couple
dir Frederick Wiseman; with Nathalie Boutefeu 22/Fr **.
At 92, rightfully venerated documentarian Frederick Wiseman makes his first narrative feature, but his approach remains the same, filling the screen with tiny details that build up a larger picture. The problem is that, while the story itself has vitality, the film is too mannered and one-note to provide a needed emotional punch. Based on letters between Leo Tolstoy and his wife Sophia, this is a one-woman show as Nathalie Boutefeu strikes poses in various picturesque sites in nature, speaking Sophia’s letters and reading Leo’s in voiceover or to-camera. Her expression is unwaveringly pained, and she repeats the cycle of marital emotions between adoration and agony. The larger arc is fascinating, from naive, hopeful 18-year-old bride to an exhausted older woman who feels she had to work hard and remain invisible to make way for her husband’s genius. A more textured telling of this story would be devastating. This is a bit dull.

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
dir Laura Poitras; with Nan Goldin, Megan Kapler 22/US ****
With this extraordinary film, gifted documentarian Laura Poitras takes a multifaceted look at a fascinating artist. As a biography of acclaimed photographer Nan Goldin, this is a clear-eyed look at her life, work and the decades she has survived, leading to related areas of activism. Which connects into her efforts to raise awareness of the Sackler family's direct responsibility in the deaths of half a million people from opioid addiction. All of this is skilfully woven together with a remarkably gentle hand.

Valeria Is Getting Married
dir-scr Michal Vinik; with Lena Fraifeld, Dasha Tvoronovich 22/Isr ****
A collision of cultures and clashes fuels this Israeli-Ukrainian drama, which opens with a lightly happy tone then steadily cranks up the deeper drama. It's sharply well-assembled by writer-director Michal Vinik to get under the skin of four central characters, and it makes some fascinating observations about the nature of power in relationships, especially transactional ones like these. The plot centres on a Ukrainian woman (Lena Fraifield) who has found a husband in Israel and now brings her sister Valeria (Dasha Tvoronovich) to marry her own man. The key elements here are emotions, which haven't factored into the arrangements and blow up over the course of a very stressful day. It's a fairly simple narrative, but ripples with deeper resonance.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows VENICE FILM FESTIVAL page, eventually! 

Venezia79: New horizons

After 24 hours in Italy, I'm finding my rhythms here. This year I'm commuting across the lagoon each day, which is a lovely way to start and end the day. And I'm remembering the fun of lurking in the crowd at the red carpet to see the super glammed-up stars (yesterday was Julianne Moore, Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Don Cheadle, Jodie Turner-Smith and more). Yes, its Day 2 and the 79th Venice Film Festival is fully underway, with plenty of public glitz while journalists quietly scurry around out of sight. Some more highlights...

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

dir Alejandro G Inarritu; with Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani 22/Mex ***

If anything, this film makes it clear that nobody says "no" to Alejandro G Inarritu. It would be hard to imagine a more indulgent, rambling, throw-everything-at-the-screen kind of movie if you tried. But this also isn't a filmmaker you can easily dismiss, as each sequence is skilfully laced with moments of visual brilliance, thematic provocations and darkly emotional honesty. Channelling Fellini at his most flamboyant, Inarritu pours a lot of personal and artistic energy into this epic, although a leaner, earthier approach would have been more effective.

Tár
dir-scr Todd Field; with Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss 22/US ****
Overstuffed as it is, this epic drama spends pretty much its entire extended running time poking the audience with various sticks. So watching the film is frequently exhilarating. There is so much to think about swirling through the dense dialog and drama that we begin to wonder what writer-director Todd Field is saying here, apart from the obvious commentary about how personal actions and public reactions can combine in a toxic brew in this social media age. And there’s no denying that Cate Blanchett delivers a jaw-dropping performance.

Padre Pio
dir Abel Ferrara; with Shia LaBeouf, Cristina Chiriac 22/It ***
Shot in striking locations under the glaring sun, while also delving into the tortured visions of a pious man, this certainly isn't your usual biopic about a saint. But then it's directed and cowritten by Abel Ferrara, who always refuses to play by the rules. It looks amazing, and overflows with big themes and fascinating people, but the story gets a bit lost. Strongly textured naturalistic performances add some weight, but the subdued pace and anecdotal structure are tricky to engage with. And it's more intriguing for its depiction of a historical event.

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy

dir-scr Nancy Buirski; with Jon Voight, Brenda Vaccaro 22/US  ****
This fascinating documentary places the 1969 classic Midnight Cowboy into its social context, offering unexpected insight though a wide range of connections. Filmmaker Nancy Buirski weaves together a wonderful variety of film clips to paint a picture of a movie that managed to strike a nerve at just the right time, both in the Hollywood industry and the culture at large. It's also great to revisit the making of such an iconic film as told firsthand in the words of people who were in the cast and crew.

The Fabulous Ones [Le Favolose]
dir Roberta Torre; with Porpora Marcasciano, Nicole De Leo 22/It ***.
With a wonderfully cheeky tone, this meandering Italian documentary-drama is a joyful exploration of connections between a group of middle-aged Italian trans women. It's a warm, honest film that reflects a varied range of feelings and experiences. Beautifully shot and edited, the movie is assembled artistically by director-cowriter Roberta Torre, revealing a wonderfully matter-of-fact affection for these colourful people who refuse to be normal, so instead they are fabulous. 

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows VENICE FILM FESTIVAL page, eventually! 

Venezia79: Starting time

The 79th Venice Film Festival kicked off tonight on the Lido with the world premiere of Noah Baumbach's White Noise, just one of the movies I will miss at this year's festival! I arrived too late to catch it, but I'm already facing a full schedule, long days and, for the first time, an extended commute across the Lagoon to where I'm staying. Here's a first batch of highlights...

Living 
dir Oliver Hermanus;  with Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood 22/UK ****
With a smart, delicate script by Kazuo Ishiguro and incisive direction by Oliver Hermanus, this remake of Kurosawa's 1952 classic Ikiru is skilfully shot in period style. Sensitive filmmaking and an incisive story tackle themes that still feel powerfully relevant nearly 70 years later, and everything is delivered in a subtle, understated way that's carefully tied in with the story's characters and setting. It also offers Bill Nighy a wonderful lead role. 

Blue Jean
dir-scr Georgia Oakley; with Rosy McEwen, Kerrie Hayes 22/UK ****
Set in a northern English seaside town during the tumultuous Thatcher years, this drama has an earthy, kitchen-sink realism that finds timely themes in a story set almost 35 years ago. While the personal story is compelling and full of involving detail, it's also not always easy to watch a film in which everyone is so miserable. Thankfully, writer-director Georgia Oakley finds moments of humour and joy along the way, and the cast is excellent.

Three Nights a Week [Trois Nuits par Semaine]
dir Florent Gouelou; with Pablo Pauly, Romain Eck 22/Fr ***.
Beautifully shot with a lush sense of light and colour, this French drama spins around a warm, offbeat relationship that catches two people, and their friends, by surprise. The drawn-out narrative plays a bit like a gay fantasy, as that cute guy isn't as straight as he thinks he is. And the plot points sometimes feel very deliberate. But there are honest feelings running through each scene, finely played by the actors in a naturalistic way. And thankfully director Florent Gouelou isn't afraid to lean right into a feel-good moment.

Casa Susanna
dir-scr Sebastien Lifshitz; with Kate, Diana, Susanna Valenti 22/Fr ****
Illustrated with a wonderful collection of home movies and snapshots, plus scene-setting newsreel footage, this quietly observational documentary offers a glimpse into a secret society from the early 1960s where cross-dressers could gather without fear. Director Sebastien Lifshitz gets out of the way and lets these people and their children tell the story with colourful anecdotes, big feelings and a lovely sense of nostalgia.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows VENICE FILM FESTIVAL page, eventually! 

FrightFest: Scary monsters

The 23rd FrightFest is running this weekend in central London, scaring the life out of happy moviegoers. I tend to only catch a handful of films each year, and here's my selection this time round, starting with one of the best films I've seen all year...

Piggy [Cerdita]
dir-scr Carlota Pereda; with Laura Galan, Richard Holmes 22/Sp ****.
Bright, sunny and blackly humorous, this small-town Spanish drama takes an unblinking look at bullying and the complex emotions it evokes. Even more than a fiendishly clever approach to a serious topic, the film is an audacious genre mashup, mixing a high school comedy with a tense horror movie. Writer-director Carlota Pereda has a terrific eye for detail, and notable skill as a storyteller who cares about her characters.

Fall
dir Scott Mann; with Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner 22/US ***.
Shamelessly playing on its vertiginous premise, this adventure thriller keeps us in a state of nerve-wracking suspense right from the start. We're so frazzled that we never mind that many of the scares are gratuitous, the filmmaking is painfully obvious, and the continuity is more than a little iffy. This is a nonstop exercise in the most basic fear, and it's feels almost exhilarating when we survive it... REVIEW >

Burial
dir-scr Ben Parker; with Charlotte Vega, Tom Felton 22/UK ***
Set at the end of WWII, this mystery thriller generates a sense of secrecy at every step. It's packed with skirmishes that are nasty but not always easy to follow, while the story structure moves from one incident to the next without much overall momentum. It's sharp enough to hold the interest, but it lacks a compelling point of view, relying on intrigue rather than any human element.

Hypochondriac
dir-scr Addison Heimann; with Zach Villa, Devon Graye 22/US ****
Opening with a caption noting that it's "based on a real breakdown", this psychological horror immediately gets under the skin. Writer-director Addison Heimann creates a superbly subjective perspective, using inventive camerawork, editing and effects to explore the central character's thoughts. It's a terrific approach to internalised terror, which continually grounds mind-based delusions in earthy authenticity. This adds emotional angles that make the movie both gripping and bleakly moving... REVIEW >

Incredible But True [Incroyable Mais Vrai]
dir-scr Quentin Dupieux; with Alain Chabat, Lea Drucker 22/Fr ***.
French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux delights in telling wildly bonkers stories with a straight face. This lightly farcical tale involves time travel but delights in never quite explaining it. But while the premise is blatantly silly, with several riotously funny scenes along the way, the film has a warm heart that brings its characters to life. So while the central point feels somewhat simplistic, it's an engaging little romp.

Deep Fear
dir Gregory Beghin; with Sofia Lesaffre, Victor Meutelet 22/Fr ***
Earthy and confident, this French thriller maintains a lightly comical tone while layering in the usual hints that something horrific is brewing. This includes a standard randomly violent opening scene and a freak-out dream before the plot even begins, sending four young people on a day out that looks intriguing, fun and of course more than a little harrowing. It's a sharply well-made movie with a seriously vicious streak.

The Leech
dir-scr Eric Pennycoff; with Graham Skipper, Jeremy Gardner 22/US **.
There's a deranged sense of humour in this black comedy, which places an upstanding priest on a slippery slope to hell. Writer-director Eric Pennycoff encourages the cast to go for heightened performances that play up the in-your-face characters and dialog. As the story continues, it gets relentlessly darker, spiralling through swirly dream sequences before revealing some bleak truths about people who aren't particularly easy to empathise with.

Orchestrator of Storms: The Fantastique World of Jean Rollin
dir-scr Dima Ballin, Kat Ellinger; with Veronique D-Travers, Brigitte Lahaie 22/US ****
Brisk and packed with detail, this documentary traces the life of a little-known filmmaker who told poetic stories about dreams and memory, often using horror and sex. Critics dismissed his work as exploitation, but scholars now see his roots in the art world and his important contribution to the French New Wave. Even if it's overlong, this is an essential doc about a rarely explored side of cinematic history.

These and other full reviews will be linked at Shadows FRIGHTFEST page >