Venezia83: Big heads

Now fully in festival mode, I'm neither eating nor sleeping enough here at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, largely because I'm watching too many movies. But the weather is glorious, so I will get out and explore this staggeringly beautiful city whenever I get some free time. Here are some more notes on film's I've seen, each of which allowed me to reconnect with a filmmaker who is often unnervingly gifted at both challenging and entertaining, starting with the best film here so far...

Wild Horse Nine
dir-scr Martin McDonagh; with John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell 26/UK *****
With his bracingly black wit, Martin McDonagh takes a satirical swipe at American foreign policy in this hilariously offbeat buddy comedy set on Easter Island in 1973. Using fiercely astute dialog that's never dumbed down for the audience, the film hits its target with razor-sharp zingers. It also finds a strongly emotional core in a story of two men in a very dark business who must grapple with their souls.

The Basics of Philosophy
dir-scr Paul Schrader; with Jack Huston, Sofia Boutella 26/US ***.
Unlike other filmmakers, Paul Schrader continues to explore issues of morality, religion and sexuality, unafraid  of the complexities and downright messiness in ideas and situations. Once again, this story touches on where these three meet, as a man grapples with whether he has control over his nature. The production design is oddly stark, and the music almost unnervingly light, but it definitely gets us thinking.

Queer Edward II
dir-scr Theo Rollason; with Derek Jarman, Tilda Swinton 26/UK ****
With comprehensive access, cinematographer Seamus McGarvey roamed the sets as Derek Jarman made his resolutely queer Edward II for the BBC in 1991. And director Theo Rollason now assembles this material to provide unusually resonant context for the period, including the project's collision with OutRage and the Aids epidemic. But most of all, it captures Jarman's sheer joy at doing what he was meant to do. 

House of the Wind [Maison du Vent]

dir-scr Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu; with Josette Kwanya, Moudjeu Pouadeu 26/Cam ****

As the title suggests, this drama is set in a house through which a gentle breeze blows, as an elderly woman ponders the changing world. The film beautifully captures details of life in Cameroon, with warm humour and emotions that continually pull us deeper. While it feels over-long, it is beautifully written, directed and performed, with a fascinating story that has strongly personal insights alongside important points about the legacy of colonialism. And it encourages us to open our hearts.

Full reviews will be linked eventually to Shadows' VENICE FILM FEST PAGE >

Venezia83: Breaking news

The 83rd Venice Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday with the world premiere of Danny Boyle's new film Ink, with an extraordinarily glittering red carpet of celebrities in attendance. Of course, I watched the movie at another screening entirely, as the press is mainly kept at a distance from the stars these days. The weather is sunny and hot this year, so I'm enjoying my commutes across the lagoon from Venice proper (where I'm sytaying) to the Lido (where the festival is held). But the hunt for a reliable phone signal and/or wifi isn't quite as much fun. Still, there's always gelato to keep me smiling. Here are notes on five films...

Ink
dir Danny Boyle; with Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce 26/UK ****
James Graham adapts his stage play for the screen, which is then turned into an explosion of imagery and sound by director Danny Boyle. It's the story of how tabloid reporting expanded in 1969 Britain, recounted with close-up camerawork, energetic cutaways and journalistic angst. At times, style drowns out substance, but there's also a sense of urgency as we see how news reporting got to where it is today. 

Bucking Fastard

dir-scr Werner Herzog; with Kate Mara, Rooney Mara 26/Ire ****
A genuine oddity, this fable-like film feels more like it came from Yorgos Lanthimos than Werner Herzog. But it's based on a true story, and the iconic German filmmaker brings his distinct quirkiness to an odyssey about two sisters who defiantly march to their own beat. And as the film crackles with charm and wit, their tenacious quest is for a world full of love, so the emotions continually catch us by surprise. 

Everest: The Other Side

dir Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi; with Jim Morrison, Hilaree Nelson 26/US ****.
Jaw-dropping cinematography puts us right on the slopes with intrepid climbers as they spend five years trying to do something unprecedented: after scaling the rarely climbed northern face of Everest, Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson intend to ski back down. Filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi get fully involved, tracing huge emotional currents throughout this unpredictable story.

Agata the Writer

dir-scr Kuba Dorabialski; with Mia Wasikowska, Vedrana Bozinovic 26/Bos ***.
Defiantly resisting a standard movie narrative structure, Polish filmmaker Kuba Dorabialski wrote, directed, edited, photographed and composed the music for this ambitious meta-drama. The story is a fascinating exploration of the place where art and history converge, knowingly blurring lines between books, movies and journalism as an author confronts her motivations. While it's darkly intriguing, Dorabialski's approach is also indulgent and stylised, which leaves it feeling somewhat academic.

Salón de Belleza

dir Nathalia Acevedo; with Sam Louwyck, Erwan Kepoa Fale 26/Mex ***.

From Mexico, this experimental drama is shot in a richly immersive style that creates a hypnotically enigmatic ambience. Filmmaker Nathalia Acevedo is gifted at capturing details that reveal characters and settings in an unusually visceral way, telling an evocative story without the need for dialog. The lead character is simply called “the individual”, making him an everyman in a surreal but profoundly human odyssey. 

Full reviews will eventually be linked to Shadows' VENICE FILM FEST PAGE >