report cards for this episode’s films

Venice 80 has already come to an end, and the Lido meeting will take place next year with new films, new stories and new heroes of the seventh art. Inevitably marked by the actors’ strike, this episode had no shortage of emotions, unexpected events and, above all, films.

Comedies, dramas, thrillers, love stories, surreal journeys brought the big screen to life in the various halls of the Venice Film Festival, allowing the public and the press to feed the cinephile’s soul, which is always in need of new celluloid adventures. To summarize, below we will briefly share our impressions of the films participating in the competition that we watched, highlighting those that we liked and those that did not convince us.

Films from the competition that convinced us

Memory From Michelle Franco starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgard, it convinced and moved us as it delicately and heartfeltly tells the story of love, complicity and support between two wounded souls. A man with early-onset dementia, a woman with a traumatic childhood, and a former alcoholic find each other and their relationship helps them find peace.

me, captain Matteo Garrone convinced us because he took us on a fascinating and exhilarating journey from Africa to Europe, thinking about immigration from a different perspective through a story of friendship, hope and perseverance. It’s pure poetry, accompanied by a coherent and memorable soundtrack, but above all, the essence of the script respects the story and makes the film necessary.

Great Dane Man this is a movie Luc Besson which was already compared from the trailer with Joker Todd Phillips. Part of the comparison comes from the main character played by Caleb Landry Jones a young man with a traumatic childhood behind him who lives alone with a group of dogs. We were moved by the story and caught our attention by the aesthetics, the vibrant and charismatic interpretation of the eccentric young actor whom many are calling “the new Johnny Depp.”

Bastarden it’s a historical drama mixed with a Danish western and a stunning Mads Mikkelsen hero. It convinced us because it is an adventure set in a picturesque rural landscape that combines intrigue, abuse and the power of perseverance. A well-written, shot-for-shot epic, often characterized by long takes, well-defined characters, and reflections on life, which is chaos, sometimes pain, sometimes joy, but we have no control over it.

Poor things is the latest work from Yorgos Lanthimos, a director who needs no introduction. This film, which can hardly be called a genre film, surprised us, intrigued us and enchanted us with the fabulous Emma Stone in the role of the female Frankenstein. An exciting, eccentric, crazy and unpredictable journey into a surreal world, raising such interesting themes as women’s emancipation and the cage of social conventions.

Priscilla this is a new movie Sofia Coppola This convinced us because the director maintains his creative style and tells a simple story with feeling and a pinch of glamour. The period atmosphere is well conveyed through the props, costumes and music, and the two young leads draw attention to the ups and downs of Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship.

Evil doesn’t exist this is a new movie HamaguchiDirector Drive my car, which premiered in Venice 80. The direction is interesting and offers some poetic ideas that captivate the eye and relax the viewer. A subdued and delicate battle in the name of nature through the simple life of a father and daughter who feel threatened by the outside world when investors want to build a glamping site in quiet places where they have lived for a long time in the company of deer, silence, streams and plants.

Films participating in the competition that did not convince us

El Conde From Pablo Larrain we weren’t convinced because it lacks pacing and as an audience we lose interest in the story as we move forward. The aesthetics are very suggestive and intriguing, the direction is creative, but the brutality of some scenes and provocative dialogues are not enough to give rhythm to the script. At the end of the viewing, you wonder what the director’s original idea was and what he wanted to convey through the adventures of the vampire Pinochet.

Ferrari Michael Mann boasts an exceptional cast that includes Adam Driver, Patrick Dempsey, Shailene Woodley, Penelope Cruz, but we weren’t convinced because we were expecting something more than a traditional biopic that turns out to be corny. Figure Enzo Ferrari it is told from both a private and professional point of view, but in a canonical manner that makes the film enjoyable, but just enough.

Owner director and main roles in the film Bradley Cooper which explores and tells the life of the conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. We were not convinced by this due to the overly pretentious direction, which falls into stylistic confusion, missing the essence of the film, which focuses not so much on the figure of the “Master”, but on the relationship between him and his wife. . A script that doesn’t follow the chronology of the story and inserts boring music here and there without any specific function.

Murderer From David Fincher it’s certainly a well-made film from a technical standpoint, with cinematography as cold as the protagonist’s personality. The director has deliberately created an intimate and psychological portrait of the figure of a professional killer with interesting reflections on empathy and method, but the pacing of the film and, above all, too many voice-over monologues suffer. The aseptic and modern atmosphere is intriguing, but something about the story structure doesn’t work.

Commander Edoardo De Angelis tells a true story that should not be forgotten. Pierfrancesco Favino Great as always, as are the rest of the cast. However, the script is a major weak point as it lacks balance. The event that should be the center of the plot occurs in the last part of the film, while the beginning is devoted only to the repetitive and useless introduction of the characters and the submarine commander. And the war remains too distant, hinted at through CGI that isn’t entirely convincing. If the writing had been better balanced, it would have worked better.