Venice: the most exciting films along the way

As the 79th Venice Film Festival approaches its halfway point, several titles emerge as this year’s favorites, at least judging by the festival’s audience and critics.

The Venice jury, led by President Julianne Moore, is just a week away from selecting the winner of the 2022 Golden Lion on September 10 at Todd Field’s. Tar Ahead of the festival pack. A chilling drama portraying a tyrannical classical composer and conductor caught up in the #MeToo scandal, played with fierce intensity by the already disabled Cate Blanchett whispering “Oscar”, the film wowed critics and audiences alike. in equal measure.

The talking point will be Blanchett’s impressive performance: flint, exerting self-control and crumbling very slowly under pressure. the hollywood reporterChief film critic David Rooney in his review. The September 1st debut of the Focus Features launch, which drew rave reviews from the gala crowd, set the standard for everything to come.

but join again call me by your name Directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Timothée Chalamet in Cannibal Love Story, bones and all rose to the challenge. The September 2 premiere lit up Venice. The audience at the premiere jumped to their feet as the credits rolled and froze, after the sound of applause and applause and a standing ovation that lasted nearly 10 minutes. Guadagnino’s combination of a tender love story with sometimes bloody violence could pose a marketing challenge for MGM, which is on the move. bones and all worldwide, but will be helped by the critical response, which has been almost universally positive.

“Guadagnino made something of an emo horror movie,” writes Rooney. “He’s much less interested in the wow factor than the poignant isolation of his young main characters. [Chalamet and co-star Taylor Russell] And a lifeline with which they represent each other as they slowly let go of their worries.”

Praise for Blanchett’s move Tar There was critical praise for Darren Aronofsky’s Brendan Fraser Returns. Format. In a chamber piece adapted by Samuel D. Hunter from his own work, he sees mommy The star plays a 600-pound inmate who fights crime and seeks redemption. While more conventional than most of Venice’s offerings this year, Format won over cynical international critics, many of whom gave a standing ovation after the film’s first press showing on Saturday night. co-player Weird stuff Actors Sadie Sink, Samantha Morton and Hong Chow, Format Launched by A24 in the US, its launch is scheduled for December 9.

roman words Athena You cannot boast of the power of the stars. Format, Tar any bones and allBut the French director’s epic action tragedy stunned critics and festival-goers on his third day in Venice with his technical prowess and the harrowing story of four brothers torn apart by a protest that erupts in a Paris apartment complex.

“Athena it is a live grenade that starts full steam ahead and increases its intensity with virtuoso technique,” ​​Rooney wrote in his letter. THR Check. “Sometimes it’s hard to watch, but it keeps the audience firmly engaged.”

The film’s timely message, immersive action, and sweeping electro-symphonic score (Gavras is known for memorable clips for MIA, Kanye West, and Jaimie xx) could help it catch fire on Netflix when it launches globally on June 23.