Venezia83: That face

We're now over halfway through the 83rd Venice Film Festival and this is where exhaustion begins to set in. Even that extra espresso doesn't seem to offer much of a boost. But the films are still excellent, a superbly mixed bunch of world premieres, so we never have a clue what we're about to see next. Here are notes on four more...

Hombre al Agua [aka: Man Overboard]
dir Gael Garcia Bernal; with Gael Garcia Bernal, Esmeralda Pimentel 26/Mex ****
Actor-filmmaker Gael Garcia Bernal fills this comedy-drama to overflowing with colourful Latin colours and rhythms, cleverly commenting on social and political realities while telling a wildly rambunctious story that deliberately echoes of melodramatic South American soaps. It's an entertaining romp that's funny, sexy and packed with sharply pointed jabs at society's almost invisible disparities and injustices.

Possible Love
dir-scr Lee Chang-dong; with Jeon Do-yeon, Cho Yeo-jeong 26/Kor ****.
Korean master filmmaker Lee Chang-dong makes movies that feel effortless. Even as they run to epic lengths, they glide along on interpersonal details and shifting conversations in everyday settings that somehow feel almost magical in the way they affect the jaggedly nuanced characters. And all the way along, Lee is taking on big issues that cut very deeply, in this case exploring how we allow our work to define us.

Arrested Memory
dir-scr Sabu; with Ethan Juan, Hsieh Ying-Hsuan 26/Tai ***.
Mixing violent thrills with a goofy sense of humour, this nutty action comedy from Taiwan ultimately finds resonance in a flurry of emotions. Japanese writer-director Sabu deploys the usual tropes of an a crime thriller, including shady cops, ruthless mobsters, hapless goons and innocent people in harm's way. But right in the middle of the story is a man grappling with his identity after a particularly horrific trauma.

Children of the Monkey [I Figli Della Scimmia]
dir Tommaso Landucci; with Riccardo Scamarcio, Fausto Russo Alesi 26/It ***.
There's an almost hushed tone to this Italian drama, which centres around a father who is struggling with the challenges life has brought his way, even though he knows better. Filmmaker Tommaso Landucci tells the story in a grounded, naturalistic way that feels sometimes rather underpowered. It's a tightly focussed and gently observational film that's anchored by its astute internalised performances. 

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

Critical Week: Pretty in pink

Screenings are back in full swing now, alongside continuing awards-season events, so there's plenty to watch out there these days. As a voter, it was nice to have a link to watch the Golden Globes live on Sunday, even if it finished at 4am London time. I enjoyed seeing the results of the all-new voting base, journalists scattered across some 75 countries who don't follow the usual Hollywood script. And the feed I was watching kept running during the ad breaks, so it was cool to watch the astonishing array of stars schmoozing and playing around before being called back to their seats. Now I have three weeks to finalise plans for the London critics awards, where we hope to have plenty of big names in the room to celebrate.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Soul • Poor Things
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As for the movies, the big screening this week was for the musical remake of Mean Girls, which is essentially the same movie with added music video-style songs and references to social media. Some of this works nicely, but it feels a little uneven. Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia is a rather dry tale of rivalry between German and Italian car companies, livened up by a solid cast and a bit of racing action. The 90s-set New York drama You Can't Stay Here makes up for its low budget with some big underlying ideas and cool cinematic references. The British arthouse drama Silver Haze is relentlessly miserable, but shows some visual style. And the documentary Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer is fascinating for both fans and potential fans, but surprisingly straightforward.

This coming week I'll be watching Viggo Mortensen in Eureka, British thriller Jackdaw, award-winning British drama Gassed Up, Swedish refugee drama Opponent, Italian romance Fireworks and offbeat comedy The Civil Dead.