Venice 2023: Mongolia's "City of Wind" and Michael Mann's "Ferrari"
Friday, September 1, 2023 at 9:00AM by Elisa Giudici
"City of Wind"
The first surprise in Venice, City of Wind, was a delightful one. It's incredibly rare to come across a Mongolian film, so I made sure to set aside 104 minutes for a teen romance and shamanic party time adventure;xTime well spent! Keep an eye on this title for both the Orizzonti Palmares and the Best International Movie Oscar race. And speaking of Oscar hopefuls, Ferrari also pulled up on the Lido...
CITY OF WIND by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
Writer-director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir masterfully takes us on a journey to Mongolia, a chilly land encircled by mountains where shamanic rituals and local superstitions somehow coexist alongside social media, dance clubs, and gleaming malls brimming with goods you can either buy or at least imagine owning. This is the world 17-year-old Ze inhabits. He's a part-time shaman and part-time student.
What City of Wind does exceptionally well is depict a universal coming-of-age experience while rooting it in its own very specific setting. The portrayal of Ze's authentic connection with the Grandpa Spirit to help his elderly neighbors and the clients who seek his invocations is particularly powerful. He feels tied to the spirit, yet he's just an ordinary student who is ridiculed by his classmates for his religious role. He's drawn to Marla, a 16-year-old who's skeptical about Ze's beliefs, yet they manage to fall in love.
You'd never guess this is a debut feature from Purev-Ochir who won the Horizon Shorts category in Venice just last year with Snow in September. She skillfully delivers a movie that is a heartfelt yet critical portrait of Mongolia - the specter of alcoholism sometimes more palpable than the teenagers connections to the traditions of his family and ancestors. A standout moment in the film involves a classroom full of spirited and robust teenagers. They begin to bark and howl in an act of rebellion against a teacher who doesn't hesitate to mock and insult them. The sequence comprises close-ups of the young students' faces—smiles, laughter, and barks captured in simple yet deeply touching shots.
If you enjoyed Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, make sure to add this title to your watchlist. It also brought to mind another film involving a young man performing half-hearted shamanic rituals for money, though I can't recall the title (if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment).
Adam Driver as "Ferrari"
FERRARI by Michael Mann
Mann is a director whose vision is crafted from neon lights, American landscapes, and metropolises. However, amidst the northern Italy hills, he finds himself out of his comfort zone and disconnected. Ferrari aims to be the biopic of Enzo Ferrari, the founder and president of the world-famous car racing brand adorned with the rampant horse emblem. The film chronicles the life of the Commendatore during a period of personal, business, and public persona crises.
Set in 1957, Ferrari is burdened with debts and in dire need of partners and capital. For Ferrari, racing competition is a fervent devotion, surpassing the focus on car sales. In fact, fewer than 100 Ferraris are sold annually to fund the racing team. Nearby in Motor Valley, Maserati faces a similar financial predicament. These two jewels of the Italian industrial realm require funds and victory in the Millemiglia race to secure more orders and capital.
What struck me about Ferrari, the movie, is the significant attention dedicated to portraying Enzo as a man, a father, a husband, and a lover. While racing and cars occupy a portion of the film, the narrative delves deeper into the risky act of driving a Ferrari through Emilia's streets. And that pales in comparison to the challenge of confronting Penelope Cruz's portrayal of Enzo's wife. Lucia, a co-founder of Ferrari, holds half the company's stakes. She manages the finances, reins in Enzo's impulses, and harbors resentment over the loss of their young son. Lucia is an intricate mix of determination, intelligence, and business acumen. Her intensity is palpable, as evidenced by a scene where she fires a shot next to Enzo's head for coming late home for morning coffee from one of his liaisons.
Ultimately, Ferrari narrates the tale of a couple shattered by their child's death, yet driven to elevate their business, a surrogate child they both love dearly. Enzo's tangled web of relationships includes another lover, played by Shailene Woodley, who becomes pivotal in his life. Nevertheless, the heart of the film lies with Cruz's portrayal of Enzo's wife.
However, there are two disappointing aspects. Firstly, Mann's directorial style lacked inspiration, resulting in cinematography that felt anonymous—far from what one would anticipate from a cinema master like Mann. There are beautiful shots, yes, but little truly stands out. Secondly, the excessive emphasis on the "most violent crash scene in cinema history" bothered me. While graphic, it failed to be truly memorable or impactful. (Pablo Larrain's El Conde, which also just premiered in Venice, delivers a far more violently unforgettable scene). The undue attention given to this single, and in my opinion not exceptional, scene tainted my viewing experience.
While the absence of Italian actors portraying Italian characters in Hollywood films no longer surprises me, what I cannot abide is witnessing Adam Driver play an Italian magnate who opts to have sexual relations with his lover on a table—complete with the clichéd shot of using his hand to clear space for their passionate encounter, labeled as "rough Italian" sex. Please.
More tonight...
Reader Comments (3)
Would you say Cruz has potential in supporting,I have read reviews who constantly single her out,I can't see it being that much of an Oscar player though.
Michael Mann puts my ass in the seat!
That FERRARI trailer looked like garbage. Where's the style Mann is famous for?