One of the biggest film festivals on the planet is taking place in about a month in Venice, Italy. That is, of course, the Venice International Film Festival. 2023 marks the 80th installment of great filmmakers coming together to display their films for a panel of judges. The festival holds a rich history with past winners being Todd Philips’ Joker, Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, and Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain.
The 80th rendition of the festival will run from August 30th to September 9th this year. It’s set to open with the Edoardo De Angelis film Comandante. After the ten day festival, it concludes with the J. A. Bayona film Society of the Snow.
This years field is STRONG with directors Michael Mann, David Fincher, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Ava DuVernay entering films into the competition. But in the “Out of Competition” category there are strong directors with Richard Linklater and Wes Anderson. I’m here to give a preview of the 80th Venice International Film Festival.
In Competition
For the competition, there’s a panel of judges to vote on which film wins the Golden Lion award. This years panel is headlined by two of my all-time favorite directors. Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, La La Land, Babylon) and Martin McDonaugh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, The Banshees of Inisherin) lead this illustrious panel. Both have very different directing styles with Chazelle targeting a grief and obsession angle through music and fame. For McDonaugh, he plays off relationships between friends and how the actions of friends can turn your life upside down.
In addition to Chazelle and McDonaugh, Jane Campion joins them on the panel. Campion won Best Director for her western Power of the Dog in 2022. Other members of the panel include directors Saleh Bakri, Mia Hansen-Løve, Gabriele Mainetti, Santiago Mitre, and Laura Poitras along with actress Shu Qi.
Like I mentioned prior, this year’s competition is strong. Some of my most anticipated films of the year are being presented and I’m dying to hear the reception and reviews of them.
The Killer dir. David Fincher
Even with Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being released this year, no film has made me more excited than The Killer. And what pains me the most is that we don’t know much about it. From what we know though, I’m amped. It’s David Fincher directing an Andrew Kevin Walker script (the writer of Se7en) with a Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score. On top of those four geniuses coming together, Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, and Charles Parnell are starring in it. Plot wise, the Letterboxd synopsis for The Killer is “After a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers and himself on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal.” David Fincher directing an assassin thriller gives me a warm blooded feeling.
One thing that I wouldn’t say concerns me, but intrigues me, is that the film is less than two hours. The exact run time according the Letterboxd is 113 minutes. This is Finchers second shortest films, just behind Panic Room, which had a run time of 111 minutes. A less than two hour action thriller seems great, but with Fincher, I want more. Shove a four hour Fincher project down my throat and I’ll sit there and indulge in every second. I trust Fincher’s vision and am so amped for this world wide release in November.
Maestro dir. Bradley Cooper
With The Killer, I’m excited. For Maestro however, I’m skeptical. I don’t love Bradley Cooper as a director after watching A Star Is Born, and we’re getting his second feature film with this Leonard Bernstein biopic. The cast makes me excited because I enjoy Cooper as an actor. Joining him is Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman (interesting), and Gideon Glick. Even though I don’t like Cooper as a director, I’m intrigued to see the life of Leonard Bernstein in film. He was a man of many talents being a composer, pianist, humanitarian, conductor, and author. Bernstein has an awesome story, I’m just nervous about Cooper’s direction.
Ferrari dir. Michael Mann
It kind of feels like Michael Mann is back. The legendary directors last film came out in 2015 and his last three films have left the audience wanting more. Blackhat was a half baked action flick, Public Enemies was alright, but unremarkable, and Miami Vice felt rushed. His last smash hit was 2004 with Collateral, but I think Ferrari will be his next great film. Ferrari stars Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Patrick Dempsey, and Jack O’Connell.
According to Letterboxd, the films description is; “During the summer of 1957, former race car driver, Enzo Ferrari, is in crisis. All the dramatic forces of his life are in collision. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for one son and the acknowledgement of another. Enzo decides to counter his losses by rolling the dice on one race – 1,000 miles across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.” 2023 has been a great year for biopics. I predict Ferrari will be top three or four, just behind Oppenheimer, Blackberry, and Napoleon.
Origin dir. Ava DuVernay
When it comes to films or documentaries regarding race relations in America, Ava DuVernay consistently knocks it out of the park. I thoroughly enjoyed Selma and found 13th to be a fascinating look at racial inequality in the American prison system. Her upcoming film, Origin, tackles similar race issues, but this time on the relationship front. Origin reportedly “Examines the unspoken system that has shaped America and chronicles how our lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions dating back generations.” The film stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Niecy Nash, Jon Bernthal, and Nick Offerman, which is an intriguing cast. Like I mentioned, I’m a fan of DuVernay’s past works, so I am looking forward to Origin.
Poor Things dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
While The Killer and Killers of the Flower Moon hold my one and two spot for anticipated films this year, one that’s sneakily close to the top of my list is Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things. Lanthimos has carved out his own special genre of dystopian style films that I love. Whether it’s The Lobster or The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lanthimos doesn’t miss. Poor Things stars a unique cast headlined by Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Jerrod Carmichael, and Margaret Qualley.
The plot of Poor Things is “A young woman, Bella, is brought back to life by scientist and her guardian Dr. Godwin Baxter. Initially naïve, Bella is eager to learn about the world around her, albeit under Baxter’s protection. Wanting to see more, she runs off with Duncan Wedderburn, a slick and debauched lawyer, and travels across continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella demands equality and liberation.” I’m amped to see how the relationships play out in this surrealist science fiction piece of cinema who makes quality film after quality film.
The Beast dir. Bertrand Bonello
While The Beast has been an under the radar film this year, there’s a lot to be excited about. It’s directed by the very versatile Bertrand Bonello who also wrote the script for the film. In the past, Bonello directed, written, produced, composed the score, and acted in some of his films. He’s taking a bit of a load off with The Beast, but his talent truly is immense. Bonello cast the very beautiful Léa Seydoux as the lead of his science fiction, romance drama. Seydoux’s co-star is George McKay, who had prominent roles in films like 1917 and Captain Fantastic.
Finalmente l’alba dir. Saverio Costanzo
What’s great about this year’s Venice Film Festival is that we’re not just getting one movie starring Willem Dafoe. We’re getting two. He’s third billed in Poor Things and in Saverio Costanzo’s Finalmente l’alba, Dafoe is billed second. Also in Finalmente l’alba is Lily James, Joe Keery, and Rachel Sennott. The upcoming Italian period piece’s plot is “A young Roman woman during the 1950s is on the verge of becoming engaged to a man. She goes to Cinecittà to do an audition as an extra and is thrust into this almost infinite night during which she discovers herself.” I’m not entirely sure how to interpret that, but I know I’m excited to see another film with Willem Dafoe starring.
Memory dir. Michel Franco
When a film brings two of my favorite actors together as co-stars, you have me hooked. I’ve recently binged some early 2000s films like Shattered Glass and Garden State and in both films, Peter Sarsgaard is outstanding. For Jessica Chastain, I believe she’s one of the best leading ladies in Hollywood. The films plot is “A love-struck couple attempt to build a relationship while dealing with trauma and dementia, in this dramatic study of memory, identity, and trust.” I really think it’ll be enjoyable to see Sarsgaar and Chastain play off one another and see how their chemistry works.
Priscilla dir. Sofia Coppola
In 2022, we got the flattering story of Elvis from the mind of Baz Luhrmann. This year, we get the story of Priscilla Presley from Sofia Coppola. The description of the film is billed as; “When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.” Last year’s film Elvis, just followed the life and death of Elvis, but never really touched on his relationship with Priscilla. I’m excited to see how Coppola directs this and tells Priscilla Presley’s story.
Priscilla stars Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley and Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley. While Elordi has had his breakout role in Euphoria, Spaeny really hasn’t. She’s appeared in small roles in films like Vice and Pacific Rim Uprising, but hasn’t had a juicy starring role yet. This is make or break for her, but I do have great confidence in her playing this role.
Out of Competition
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial dir. William Friedkin
At 87 years old, William Friedkin is still directing films. He’s responsible for some of the great, trailblazing pieces of cinema like The Exorcist, The French Connection, and Blue Chips. Now, Friedkin is releasing what could be his last film, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. The film is described as “A naval officer stands trial for mutiny after taking command from a ship captain he feels is acting in an unstable way, putting in danger both the ship and its crew.” This legal drama sounds like it has the makeup of a film like A Few Good Men, which really fires me up.
Friedkin assembled a solid cast with Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Clarke as the two leads. The casting of Clarke is one that makes me excited because of how great he was in Oppenheimer as Roger Robb. In supporting roles, Friedkin has cast Jake Lacy, Monica Raymund, and Lance Reddick in a posthumous role.
Hit Man dir. Richard Linklater
The king of coming-of-age films is the great Richard Linkater. Whether it’s the Before trilogy, Boyhood, or Dazed and Confused, Linklater doesn’t miss. His upcoming film, Hit Man, steps outside of the box a little as it is billed as an action comedy. According to Wikipedia, the films description is “An undercover Houston police officer poses as a reliable hitman to arrest those trying to hire him until he tries to save a woman in need.” It feels like a great concept, but the lead actor makes me even more excited with Glen Powell starring. Powell really blew up last year with prominent roles in Devotion and Top Gun: Maverick, so I’m excited to see how he expounds off that with Hit Man.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar dir. Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson released Asteroid City early this summer, but has another project coming out at the Venice International Film Festival. You can’t knock his work ethic. While Asteroid City was a feature film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a short film. The film has a run time of 37 minutes. The anthology film is from the Roald Dahl book collection, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. What’s great is that this isn’t the first time Anderson has adapted a Dahl story. His great, stop motion film, The Fantastic Mr. Fox was an adaptation of a Dahl story.
The cast of this film is exciting because it brings back a familiar face with Ralph Fiennes, but also adds new actors with Oscar winners Ben Kingsley and Benedict Cumberbatch, along with Dev Patel and Richard Ayoade. I didn’t fall in love with Asteroid City so I’m hoping to really connect with this film.
The More Problematic Submissions
Now I’ve listed the many great submissions to the festival, but there are two I didn’t cover. In the Out of Competition section, two disgraced, decrepit perverts are submitting films: Woody Allen and Roman Polanski. If you don’t know the back story on either, I’ll fill you in.
Roman Polanski
In 1977, Polanski was arrested and charged with drugging and raping a thirteen year old girl. Polanski faced six charges which included statutory rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, perversion, sodomy, lascivious behavior, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor. Due to a plea deal from the victims attorney, Polanski plead guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and was ordered to undergo 90 days of psychiatric evaluation. However, the judge on the case was planning to disregard the plea bargain and sentence Polanski to 50 years in prison. I’m generally against a vigilante justice system and this judge turning this into a witch hunt is wrong, but I have no sympathy for Polanski.
When Polanski learned about this judged intentions, he fled the country to his home in London. A day after arriving in London, he fled to France where he couldn’t be extradited back to the United States. An Interpol red notice was put out for Polanski’s arrest, but because he rarely leaves France, he can’t be arrested. In the years following the accusation against Polanski, a number of other women came forward and reported that Polanski raped them.
He’s a disgusting monster, but is being welcomed with open arms by the Venice International Film Festival. I’m not for cancelling people, but when you have a person with character and a past like Polanski, I wouldn’t allow him to gain traction for his film off the back of your film festival.
Woody Allen
While Polanski fled the country to continue his filmmaking career, Allen is still in the states. In 1992, Allen was accused of molesting his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, then aged seven. The nanny of the Farrows alleged that she saw Allen facing Dylan Farrow with his head between in her lap while he was on his knees. Allen denied the allegations and after a six-month investigation by the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1993, it was concluded that Dylan had not been sexually abused.
In June of 1993, Mia Farrow and Woody Allen were battling for custody over their biological son Satchel (now Ronan Farrow) and their adopted sons Dylan and Moses. The judge rejected Allen’s bid for custody and rejected the allegation of sexual abuse. The judge stated that he was less certain than the Yale-New Haven team that there was conclusive evidence that there was no sexual abuse and called Allen’s conduct with Dylan “grossly inappropriate” although not sexual.
In October of 1993, the investigation against Allen was closed. A 14 month investigation from the State Department of Family Assistance and New York State Office of Children and Family Services concluded there was not credible evidence of abuse or maltreatment, and the allegation was unfounded.
His Relationship With Soon-Yi Priven
While he was technically found innocent in the Dylan Farrow case, I still find Allen to be a massive creep. To further that thought, just look at his current wife, Soon-Yi Previn. Before dating Woody Allen, Mia Farrow was married to composer Andre Previn. The two had three biological children and three adopted children, including Soon-Yi. In 1979, Farrow and Previn divorced and in 1980, Farrow began dating Woody Allen. Allen and Soon-Yi met when she was ten years old because Farrow wanted her partner to have a solid relationship with her kids.
The two never really connected until Soon-Yi was in the eleventh grade. He began taking her to Knicks games and in his autobiography “Apropos of Nothing“, Allen admitted that he developed feeling for Soon-Yi during this time when they were consistently attending Knicks games. Allen wrote “As we chatted at the game, I found that I was enjoying her company more than I should have. Cut to some time later … Soon-Yi comes in from college and I screen ‘The Seventh Seal’ … we’re alone in my screening room, and quite smoothly, if I do say so myself, I lean in and kiss her.“
The first time their relationship reportedly turned sexual was when Soon-Yi was 21. Mia Farrow believes that Soon-Yi was groomed by Allen, but Soon-Yi denies the allegation. In an interview with Newsweek, Soon-Yi stated “I admit that it’s offbeat, but let’s not get hysterical. I’m not a retarded underage flower who was raped, molested and spoiled by some evil stepfather — not by a long shot.” Whether Allen did or didn’t “groom” Soon-Yi, the relationship is problematic and Allen is a massive piece of shit.