Film critics agreed the main competition line-up of 21 titles was one of the strongest in recent memory as many films were held back during the pandemic.
Paolo Sorrentino’s film about the death of his parents, Jane Campion’s 1920 Frontier saga and a difficult French tale of abortion are among contenders for the top prize at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, with the race widely watched Has been.
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Film critics agreed the main competition line-up of 21 titles, which included Kristen Stewart’s turn as Princess Diana in “Spencer,” was one of the strongest in recent memory as many films during the coronavirus pandemic were held back.
Out of competition, and ineligible for prizes, were Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction classic “Dune” and a remake of Ridley Scott’s medieval epic “The Last Duel”.
Those two photos clashed star-power—a key ingredient to a successful celebration, and even more so after last year’s subdued version. Ben Affleck — holding hands with Jennifer Lopez — Matt Damon, Timothée Chalamet, Stewart and Penelope Cruz were among the A-listers on the red carpet.
COVID-19 restrictions meant fans were kept at a distance from celebrities, though Chalamet jumped over a security fence to sign autographs and pose for photos with a screaming crowd.
There were fewer, smaller parties and theaters running at half capacity, with many attendees struggling to book seats through the mandatory online platform. But the buzz was back.
“I thought the line-up looked phenomenal and it mainly held up,” said Scott Roxborough Hollywood ReporterAppreciating the mix, Hollywood mixes big-budget films with more intimate, auteur-centric films like “Reflection,” a Ukrainian film about the war against the formerly Russian-backed separatists.
He stated that his favorite film was the “Official Competition”, an Argentine satire that makes a splash in the cinema industry and is also vying for the Golden Lion top prize.
A summary of film reviews by Italian critics at Lido Waterfront gave Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God”, which was also popular with foreign critics, the highest score.
“Sorrentino looks like a good compromise pick,” said Paola Jacobi, a veteran Italian freelance journalist based in Venice, though he said a lot would depend on the quirks of the jury, which was led this year by South Korean “Parasite” director Bong Joon. -Ho did it.
Other films praised by critics include Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter”, the story of a soldier-turned-card player with flashbacks in the Abu Ghraib prison, and “Captain Volkonogov Escaped from Russia”, about a state executioner. There is a crisis of conscience.
The awards ceremony for the 11-day movie marathon takes place on Saturday from 1700 GMT.
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