A biopic on Diana with Kristen Stewart, a Russian film about torture and redemption, or the new Almodovar? The Venice show postpone this Saturday, September 11 its prestigious Golden Lion, at the end of a very open competition until the end.
Last year, “Nomadland” from Chloe Zhao, a melancholy journey among the losers of America, had won, before receiving a few months later the Oscar for best film.
Who will succeed the Chinese-American director this year? In total, 21 films were viewed speak jury of South Korean Bong Joon-Ho, winner of the Palme d’Or 2019 in Cannes with “Parasite”.
At his side, to decide between these films from the United States, France, Italy and the Philippines, two men and four women, including Chloe Zhao and the Franco-Belgian actress Virginie Efira.
The selection is high level: Pedro Almodovar who finds his muse Penelope Cruz in “Parallel Mothers“, director Paul Schrader, brilliant screenwriter of Martin Scorsese in “_Taxi Drive_r”, which features a crazed poker veteran in “The Card Counter“, French-style cinema, from Balzac (” Les Illusions perdues “) to social drama with Vincent Lindon (“Another world“)…
Among the films that have been favored by international critics compiled by the Festival daily, “The dog’s share“, from Jane Campion, is one of those who stand out.
Palme d’or in 1993 for “The piano lesson“, the director addresses the question of masculinity in this suffocating camera in a world of cowboys, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst.
In a completely different genre, a couple of Russian filmmakers, Natalia Merkoulova and Alexeï Tchoupov, impressed with his visual and narrative mastery in “Captain Volkonogov escaped“, parable of torture and redemption, in Stalinist-era St. Petersburg.
Kristen Stewart and Diana
In terms of performance awards, the American Kristen Stewart convinced many festival-goers with her performance as Lady Diana in “Spencer“, from Pablo Larrain, a dive into the intimacy of this woman refusing to give up her freedom in the corseted universe of the Windsors.
The winners will also be a new opportunity to measure the power of streaming platforms that have become major actors of the 7th art, and who have seen their dominance further reinforced by the pandemic.
Unlike Cannes, the most prestigious competition but which Netflix films are deprived of due to the lack of theatrical release in France, these platform feature films are welcome in Venice.
Netflix had already marked the spirits in 2018 by winning the Golden Lion for “Roma” d’Alfonso Cuaron, which went on to win Golden Globes and Oscars.
This year, in addition to the film by Jane Campion, the platform also produced the new film by Paolo Sorrentino, The Very Personal “God’s hand“, and acquired the rights to”The Lost Daughter“, which marks the passage to the realization of the actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, other serious candidates for the Golden Lion.
Whatever the prize list, the Mostra will in any case have managed to bounce back after a very poor 2020 vintage, in the midst of a pandemic.
The festival was organized only two months after that of Cannes, which proved its ability to stay connected to the avant-garde by crowning “Titanium“, a genre film.
Venice, which in recent years has become a launching pad for the Oscars, is also a favorite date for American stars, who flocked to the Lido red carpet.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, friends since childhood, climbed the steps on Friday for “The Last Duel“, from Ridley Scott, a few days after the stars of “Dune“: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and Javier Bardem.
Reference-feedproxy.google.com