Not only “Joker” - what you didn’t have time to see at the Venice Film Festival
While Lily-Rose Depp is fighting off accusations of racism, Dad Jude Law became a dad for the sixth time, Timothée Chalamet starred in Denis Villeneuve's Dune. Due to the pandemic, not all the films of last year have played their role and reached the audience. In 2019 in Venice, in addition to the victorious “Joker” and "To the stars" Brad Pitt featured several worthy films that are a must-see for cinephiles. We will also note how these films were received at their premieres in Venice, what film critics said, whether the audience booed and how the fans screamed.
So, in addition to "Marriage Story" with Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, and "True" with Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche, we suggest watching at home or in cinemas:
"Miami Sting" with Penelope Cruz from French director Olivier Assais
The original name “Wasp network” was replaced by distributors in Russia with the more “sounding” “Scam in Miami”, although the main characters are Cuban patriots. The French director once again takes on a difficult subject. The main character is a Cuban intelligence officer who lives undercover in the States, and his family considers him a “traitor” to the Fatherland. The beautiful Penelope Cruz plays the mother of the family, and the swashbuckling plot and brave men allow the swashbuckling plot to revolve around her. The overall victorious and triumphant spirit of the film can be described as “Long live Cuba, long live Assais!” As always, Assais melted in his charming smile at the gala premiere in Venice, and all the men came to see not so much the film as Penelope.
Penelope Cruz at the premiere at the Venice Film Festival Olivier Assais at the Venice Film Festival
"An Officer and a Spy" by Roman Polanski
“An Officer and a Spy” (the original title, “I Accuse,” sounds more original) is the most scandalous film of the film festival due to the investigation into the director and the plot of the film. The film is dedicated to one of the sick sides of French (yes, especially in France) society, namely anti-Semitism. The Dreyfus Affair split French society between 1896 and 1906, became an important factor in domestic politics, and even determined the course of history. According to the French prosecution, Alfred Dreyfus, a Frenchman of Jewish origin, spied for the German Empire. Emile Zola himself spoke out in defense of Dreyfus in his famous article “I Accuse,” however, even such influential support did not save Dreyfus from prison. It was only in 1906 that the court found Dreyfus completely innocent, and in 1918 he was awarded the Legion of Honor. Two major contemporary French actors - Jean Dujardin and Louis Garrel - diligently play out the drama, closer to a soap opera. Both individual scenes and decor evoke the impression of theatricality and props, with all due respect to the director and the social importance of the plot. In Venice, critics received the film controversially: Polanski’s status did not allow employees of liberal publications to free themselves from their own prejudices when watching the film.
"The King" with Timothée Chalamet and Lily-Rose Depp
It always rains on the Lido in early September. However, even the torrential downpour did not stop female fans (!) from taking seats at the red carpet in the morning to try to get an autograph or take a selfie with Timothée Chalamet during the night premiere (at 22 p.m.). “Timoteee”, “Timoteee” - the crowd demanded the young actor. And then He appeared. The rain didn't seem to bother anyone. It was possible to continue taking photos on the red carpet as security began their duties to protect the star.
The two-hour military historical drama “The King” looked like both an epic clip on a historical plot with beautiful music and actors (remember, Lily-Rose Depp starred in the film), and a screensaver for a video game. In the new film “The King,” Chalamet plays an English king who, at the end of the film, gets a beautiful lady (you can’t argue with that - Lily-Rose Depp). The applause after the premiere was prepared even before watching the film by ardent fans of Chalamet's work. (Spoiler: My neighbor in the row allowed himself to snore immodestly in the second part of the film).
"The New Pope" with Jude Law
Just recently, Jude Law became a dad for the sixth time. One of the episodes of the popular series “The New Pope” with Lowe in the role of the Pope was presented at the Venice Film Festival. After the end of the press screening, the audience stood up and quickly left their seats in bewilderment. Respected European critics certainly appreciated the beauty of Yulia Snigir’s bottomless eyes and Venice at night, but the narrative was difficult to grasp. Congratulations to the Russian actress on her high-profile international debut.
“On Infinity” by arthouse classic Roy Andersson
The work of Roy Andersson is a paradise for an arthouse connoisseur. In the postmodern era, in addition to knowing film-visual and artistic references, the cinephile will find food for thought and new meanings, even those that the director did not put into his narrative. Andersson films without a script and on a sound stage. Thus, his films are a stream of pure consciousness, unencumbered by boundaries, and also an example of brilliant visuals. “Infinity” combines several film stories similar to the “living pictures” of the 19th century. Philosophical and complex - they are more reminiscent of symbolist painting. The film poster looks like it was copied from a painting by Marc Chagall. Such an art journey is obviously not for everyone, because not everyone will be taken to the future.
In personal conversation, 76-year-old Andersson turned out to be a very sweet and charming person. He greeted everyone in our row, even taking the time and energy to talk. It's nice, you can't say anything.
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