Golden Lion Winner Reviewed: "Father Mother Sister Brother"

by Elisa Giudici

Tom Wait in Jim Jarmusch's FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER

On the closing night of Venice 82, the Golden Lion went to Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother. The decision immediately set off a storm of controversy. The overwhelming favorite had been Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia's Oscar submission, and a film that electrified audiences with its urgency and moral weight. Yet once again, the jury—this year led by Alexander Payne—opted for a different kind of statement: not the raw political immediacy of Gaza, but the quieter, “career-crowning” recognition of a grand elder of cinema.

This dynamic is nothing new on the Lido...

Click to read more ...

Berlinale 75: Manipulative Partners and Matters of Motherhood

by Elisa Giudici

HOT MILK, Rebecca Lenkiewicz

Hot Milk is a hot mess, a disappointing misfire for all involved. 

Expectations were high for Rebecca Lenkiewicz's directorial debut. As an acclaimed screenwriter behind the brilliant Polish drama Ida and the emotionally charged Disobedience, she seemed poised to deliver a sensual and compelling contender for the Golden Bear. The film also featured a strong trio of actresses: Sex Education's breakout star Emma Mackey, the ever-impressive Fiona Shaw, and Vicky Krieps—renowned for her sophisticated choices in European cinema. Yet, despite this promising lineup, Hot Milk struggles to find its rhythm and tone, failing to engage its audience from the very beginning...

Click to read more ...

TIFF: Viggo Mortensen’s ‘The Dead Don’t Hurt’

By Abe Friedtanzer 

Courtesy of TIFF

Western films tend to deal with violence in some capacity, presenting a world either defined by lawlessness or exploring what it means to set up a system of law and order to ensure that it isn't. When everyone has a gun and collecting bounties is a popular pastime, it can be difficult to instill a sense of moral consequences in a society that may not be interested in it. The Dead Don’t Hurt weaves a love story into a portrait of a town on the edge of becoming modern. A bleak view of humanity emerges... 

Click to read more ...

International Feature Race - Part 3: A Dozen Movie Stars

by Nathaniel R

Voting on the finalist list for the Oscar categories that use that system (including Best International Feature Film) concluded last week with the finalist lists to be announced on December 21st. As a final part of our general trivia overview (pt 1 stats & genres / pt 2 directors) we thought we'd look at the famous faces gracing the international contenders this year. Here are eleven of the most familiar movie stars in the mix that Academy voters (and you) might recognize from their own history of awardage not to mention previous classics. We'll take these famous actors alphabetically starting with a multilingual Spanish-German star and ending with a Chinese beauty, both of whom came to fame in the Aughts when they were fresh-faced twentysomethings...

Click to read more ...

TIFF: Austria’s Oscar entry ‘Corsage’ starring Vicky Krieps

By Abe Friedtanzer

Actress Vicky Krieps, who was introduced to American audiences in a big way in a performance that should have earned her an Oscar nomination for Phantom Thread, is getting a lot of work lately. She had a prominent role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old and stars in Mathieu Amalric’s Hold Me Tight, which is now playing in theaters. Most notably, she tied for the best performance prize in the 'Un Certain Regard' section at Cannes this summer for Corsage. It's a movie she both conceived of and executive produced, and now it's become Austria’s official Oscar entry.

Krieps plays Elisabeth, the Empress of Austria in 1878. The popular royal figurehead is turning forty, and she’s also watching her life slip away as her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister), relegates her to uninteresting duties that don’t serve any true purpose...

Click to read more ...