Which movies should you watch at the 2024 Venice Film Festival? Our recommendations of 30 promising films from Venezia 81, from anticipated premieres to hidden gems!
It’s time! The 2024 Venice Film Festival is about to begin, and if you’re wondering, “which movies should I watch at Venezia 81?,” we have you covered. We made a list of 30 films that should be on your radar this year, from big red carpets and anticipated World Premieres to lesser known releases and promising hidden gems. The Mostra del Cinema di Venezia will take place at Venice Lido on on August 28 – September, 7 2024. The lineup is up on the Biennale’s site and it’s incredible, but the calendar will be out in about a week. Let’s take a look at the programme, from the 21 movies in competition to Orizzonti, Out of Competition, and the Venice Days and Critics’ Week side strands.
Our writers Claire Fulton, Clotilde Chinnici and Serena Seghedoni will be at the Lido this year, our first year covering the Mostra as a Tomatometer-approved publication! Claire, Clotilde, and Serena made a list of 30 movies to watch at the 2024 Venice Film Festival! Check out our picks below in alphabetical order, follow us on X/IG and say hi to us if you see us in Venice!
1. APRIL
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director & Writer: Dea Kulumbegashvili
Cast: Ia Sukhitashvili, Kakha Kintsurashvili, Merab Ninidze
Countries: Georgia, France
In Dea Kulumbegashvili’s April, Nina (Ia Sukhitashvili) is an obstetrician in rural Georgia who is rumoured to aid patients who are seeking abortions, despite it being legally prohibited. But when she is subject to investigation after a delivery ends in tragedy, she must defend herself, her actions and her values.
We live in a world where the reproductive rights of women are constantly under threat. Dea Kulumbegashvili’s film feels incredibly timely, particularly on the back of an American judicial decision than angered millions of people globally, and reinforces the idea that a right to choose is a fundamental human right. Kulumbegashvili described April as being a film that will analyse the ‘dichotomy’ within womanhood and the themes of life and death. It’s a film about a woman entrusted by women at their most vulnerable, and it will explore the tangible themes and questions that surround the tricky issue of abortion and our place in dictating whether it happens or not. (Claire Fulton)
2. BABYGIRL
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director & Writer: Halina Reijn
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde, Jean Reno
Country: United States
Release Date: December 25, 2024
Co-produced and distributed by A24 and starring Nicole Kidman, Babygirl is already off to a promising start from its premise alone. Of course, the fact that it comes from the same director as the critically acclaimed Bodies Bodies Bodies only adds to the hype. Fans of the director will want to look for her next feature, which may also be very well received by those in the audience who appreciate the work of the distributor, as A24 has now developed both a strong reputation and widespread following for arthouse films and the originality of their products.
Halina Reijn’s latest aims to explore the complex power dynamics in a professional setting, narrating the forbidden romance between a high-ranking CEO (Nicole Kidman) and her significantly younger intern (Harris Dickinson). This will be the second English-language feature film directed by Reijn, who is also the writer and one of the producers of the movie. Antonio Banderas and Sophie Wilde are also part of the cast in undisclosed roles. (Clotilde Chinnici)
3. BEAUTY IS NOT A SIN
OUT OF COMPETITION
Director & Writer: Nicholas Winding Refn
Cast: Laura Grassi, Stefano Gaeta
Countries: Italy, Denmark
“7 minutes to demonstrate that one can achieve great cinema even with something that’s as long as a commercial break.” That’s how the Biennale’s artistic director Alberto Barbera described the film at the press conference announcing the line-up, and, keeping in mind that it comes from writer-director Nicholas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon, Copenhagen Cowboy), we believe him. Beauty is Not a Sin is only 7 minutes long and the plot is still unknown, but we are intrigued. The film will be screened right before the Venezia Classici restoration of Pusher (1996), and absolutely wouldn’t miss this double feature. (Serena Seghedoni)
4. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
OUT OF COMPETITION
Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Seth Grahame-Smith
Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, Willem Defoe
Countries: United States, United Kingdom
Thirty-six years after his name was first invoked, the world’s crudest bio-exorcist is back in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, from visionary director Tim Burton. When a family tragedy sees Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) return to Winter River alongside her rebellious teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), she isn’t too keen on reuniting with Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) and his penchant for deadly disruption. But when Astrid accidentally opens a portal to the Afterlife, “the Juice is loose” once again.
Burton’s long rumoured and long awaited sequel will kick off the 81st Venice Film Festival in the director’s particularly quirky style. In 1988, the original Beetlejuice saw Keaton let off the leash in a way that cemented the, quite frankly, bonkers film as a cult classic, and thankfully it seems like a lot of the key ingredients that worked so well then are back this time around. A bit kooky, a bit spooky, and no doubt loaded with quips, crude jokes and deliberately wonky special effects, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice looks set to be a whole lot of fun and introduce a whole new audience to Betelgeuse’s brand of off-kilter and off-colour mayhem. We can’t wait. (And, side note, if there’s a threequel, then we’re all in trouble if the naming trend continues.) (Claire Fulton)
5. BROKEN RAGE
OUT OF COMPETITION
Director & Writer: Takeshi Kitano
Cast: Beat Takeshi, Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ōmori
Country: Japan
Takeshi Kitano. Need we say more? Yes we do, because Broken Rage promises to have “an unprecedented narrative structure,” at least according to Alberto Barbera. What’s even more impressive is that it’s only 62 minutes long. We don’t know anything else about it at the moment, but knowing Kitano, we’re in for a treat. (Serena Seghedoni)
6. THE BRUTALIST
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Brady Corbet
Writers: Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
Cast: Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Isaach De Bankolé, Alessandro Nivola
Country: United Kingdom
Speaking of run times, The Brutalist is 215 minutes’ long. But this doesn’t make us any less excited for Brady Corbet’s latest feature. The film marks writer-director Brady Corbet’s return to Venice after his mesmerizing Vox Lux in 2018. Vox Lux‘s Raffey Cassidy and Stacy Martin are both in The Brutalist, which boasts an all-star cast. That, together with its promising plot and themes, make it one of our most anticipated movies at the festival.
Adrien Brody plays real-life architect László Toth, who fled post-war Europe with his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), hoping to build a new future for them both and earn a legacy in the States. There, they witness the birth of modern America, an ever-changing world that might just give them the life they seek. But the arrival of a mysterious and wealthy client threatens their newfound balance and risks to jeopardize what they’ve worked so hard to achieve. The film was shot in 70mm by cinematographer Lol Crawley (White Noise) and edited by Dávid Jancsó (Monkey Man), and yes, there will be an intermission. (Serena Seghedoni)
7. CARISSA
ORIZZONTI
Directors & Writers: Jason Jacobs & Devon Delmar
Cast: Gretchen Ramsden, Wilhelmiena Hesselman, Hendrik Kriel, Elton Landrew
Country: South Africa
In a quiet village, a young woman (Gretchen Ramsden), is encouraged by her grandmother to apply for a job in the new golf estate nearby. But when she discovers it is being developed on the lands her estranged grandfather uses to grow tea, she is confronted with a difficult choice: the job or the land?
Carissa is the feature film from South African duo Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, and despite a low budget, it feels like a film with a big story to tell. It’s another movie that has been kept mostly under the radar, but the premise has a lot of potential. An underdog story of family legacy versus conglomerate supremacy feels rightfully timely and important, and hopefully Carissa reaches a big audience at the festival and beyond. (Claire Fulton)
8. CHAIN REACTIONS
VENICE CLASSICS
Director & Writer: Alexandre O. Philippe
Country: United States
What if we told you that, while you were looking at the Venice line-up, there’s one film you overlooked that should absolutely be on your radar? People often forget that the Venice Classics strand also includes documentaries, and writer-director Alexandre O. Philippe’s (Lynch/Oz) latest deserves your full attention.
Fifty years after Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Chain Reactions is here to examine its impact and influence on five masters of the genre: Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama. All artists feature in the film, talking about anything from early memories to childhood traumas, interlaced with never-before-seen footage and outtakes from the film. Do we have your attention? (Serena Seghedoni)
9. CLOUD
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director & Writer: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Cast: Masaki Suda, Kotone Furuwaka, Daiken Okudaira
Country: Japan
Written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Cloud tells the story of Ryosuke Yoshii (Masaki Sunda), an internet reseller whose life is put at risk when mysterious events start happening around him. As many festival goers will already know, Kurosawa, who won the Silver Lion for Best Director the last time he attended the Venice Film Festival in 2020 with Wife of a Spy, is particularly well known for his contributions to the canon of Japanese psychological horror films. This makes his newest movie even more exciting for fans of the genre. (Clotilde Chinnici)
10. DISCLAIMER (CH. 1-7)
OUT OF COMPETITION (SERIES)
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Writers: Alfonso Cuarón & Renee Knight
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, Lesley Manville, Louis Partridge, Leila George, Indira Varma, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Countries: United Kingdom, United States
Technically, it’s not a movie. But we had to include one of the most anticipated projects at the 2024 Venice Film Festival: Alfonso Cuarón’s new mini-series, an adaptation of Renée Knight’s 2015 novel of the same name. “Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental,” reads the caption on the cover of Knight’s book, which also revolves around a novel. At the center of the show is a mysterious manuscript that appears at a documentary filmmaker’s bedside, and makes her question her own reality when she realizes that the events depicted in it are true.
Cate Blanchett plays filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft in Cuarón’s series, which will be released on Apple TV+ in October 2024. The manuscript she receives is called The Perfect Stranger, and she has no idea of who sent it to her. In Knight’s book, we follow Catherine as she gets more and more entangled in a dark secret that seems to be connected with her own past. Not only that; we’re talking about a secret that only one other person knew, but that person is dead.
Alfonso Cuarón’s previous film in Venice was Roma (2018), which ended up winning not only the Golden Lion but also three Oscars. This year, he returns with a project that explores what happens to us we try to conceal the truth – the kind of unsettling, multilayered theme that would seem to be tailor-made for him. We wouldn’t miss it for the world. (Serena Seghedoni)
11. DIVA FUTURA
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Giulia Louise Steigerwalt
Writers: Giulia Louise Steigerwalt & Debora Attanasio
Cast: Pietro Castellitto, Tesa Litvan, Barbara Ronchi, Denise Capezza, Davide Iachini, Marco Iermanò
Country: Italy
It turns out Supersex isn’t the only Italian project of the year to premiere at a festival and revolve around the porn industry. Diva Futura takes place in the 80s and 90s and explores the birth of porn in the country. It all began when Riccardo Schicchi (Pietro Castellitto, returning to Venice after last year’s Enea) created the titular agency, hiring a series of “girls next door” that went on to become global superstars when their movies made it to people’s homes. The advent of Diva Futura, with Moana Pozzi, Eva Henger, Ilona Staller and many others, marked a new era in entertainment, leading to the term “porn star” being coined. But it also became a cultural phenomenon, with many of these stars even successfully entering politics.
Diva Futura tells its story from the point of view of a young new hire at the agency (Barbara Ronchi’s Debora), who lets us into a “family” defined by contradictions and built on the hidden desire of an entire nation. Given the talent involved and the fascinating subject matter, we are intrigued. (Serena Seghedoni)
12. FAMILIES LIKE OURS (EP. 1-7)
OUT OF COMPETITION
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writers: Thomas Vinterberg & Bo Hr. Hansen
Cast: Amaryllis August, Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen, Helene Reingaard Neumann, Magnus Millang, Esben Smed, David Dencik, Thomas Bo Larsen, Asta Kamma August
Countries: Denmark, France, Sweden, Czech Republic, Belgium, Norway, Germany
Remember Thomas Vinterberg, who gave us the masterpiece that was Another Round, back in 2020? His Mads Mikkelsen-starring, Best International Feature-winning movie is hailed by many as one of the best films of the decade, and his filmography also includes beloved gems like The Hunt and Far From the Madding Crowd. Vinterberg’s first project after Another Round is Families Like Ours (Familier Som Vores), another exciting series at Venezia 81.
Families Like Ours is a dystopian show, taking place in a future where Denmark is about to be evacuated due to climate change, which made the nation go under water when its water levels rose beyond control. As the entire country prepares to leave their homes, we follow high school student Laura (Amaryllis August), who must decide who to escape with. Will she choose her divorced parents, or will she follow a boy named Elias (Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt), with whom she’s recently fallen in love?
Judging by this synopsis, Families Like Ours has the potential to be yet another psychologically compelling work from Thomas Vinterberg, and this makes it one of our most anticipated watches at the Venice Film Festival. (Serena Seghedoni)
13. HAPPYEND
ORIZZONTI
Director & Writer: Neo Sora
Cast: Hayato Kurihara, Yukito Hidaka, Yuta Hayashi, Shina Peng, ARAZI, Kilala Inori, PUSHIM, Ayumu Nakajima, Makiko Watanabe
Countries: Japan, United States
Writer-director Neo Sora brought Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus to the Venice Film Festival last year, where he honored his father Ryuiki Sakamoto’s work in a manner that our writer Philip calls “as simple and beautiful as possible.” This year, Sora returns to the festival with Happyend, a project that’s so promising that its global and U.S. rights were acquired last month.
This dystopian coming of age story takes place in a not-so-distant future, in Tokyo. Our protagonists are two best friends who attend the same high school in Kobe, and who decide to pull a prank on the principal not long before they graduate. But their actions lead to the school installing a hi-tech surveillance system that ultimately confronts them with a choice. Happyend explores Japanese society at its most repressive and has a lot to say about today’s world. It’s also Sora’s first fiction film, which has us even more excited about it. (Serena Seghedoni)
14. HARVEST
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Athina Rachel Tsangari
Writers: Athina Rachel Tsangari & Joslyn Barnes
Cast: Caleb Landry Jones, Harry Melling, Rosy McEwen, Arinzé Kene
Countries: United Kingdom, Germany, United States
Set during the Middle Ages in England, Harvest is an upcoming drama based on a book of the same name by Jim Crace. The film sets out to explore the economic turmoil in a village where locals turn to scapegoat three strangers. Principal photography took place in Scotland in 2023 with some filming also happening in Germany, which will certainly guarantee it a level of authenticity and historical accuracy at least in terms of its setting. With a film set so many years in the past, it is going to be interesting to see how its topics and themes may relate to today’s audiences and current struggles in the 21st century. After all, the questions of both economic struggle and scapegoating are not foreign to modern audiences at all. (Clotilde Chinnici)
15. I’M STILL HERE
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Walter Salles
Writers: Murilo Hauser & Heitor Lorega
Cast: Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro, Selton Mello
Countries: Brazil, France
I’m Still Here is based on “Ainda Estou Aqui”, a 2015 book by Marcelo Rubens Paiva whose father, Rubens Paiva, disappeared during the military dictatorship in Brazil. The film takes place in Brazil in 1971 during the Military Dictatorship and follows the lives of mother and an activist Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Montenegro) and her five children. Eunice is searching for her missing husband, Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), a former congressman for the Brazilian Labour Party who has recently disappeared. Not only is this film set in one of the most painful and historically relevant moments in Brazilian history, but it also tells a harrowing real-life story that many international viewers may not be familiar with. (Clotilde Chinnici)
16. IDDU (SICILIAN LETTERS)
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Directors & Writers: Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza
Cast: Toni Servillo, Elio Germano, Daniela Marra, Barbara Bobulova
Country: Italy, France
Iddu is set in the early 2000s, when Catello (Toni Servillo, of The Hand of God), a politician attempting to revive his career, decides to help Secret Services track down Matteo Messina Denaro (Elio Germano, of America Latina), one of the leaders of the Sicilian Mafia. The two, who have known each other their entire lives, begin a game of corresponding letters as Catello hopes to trick him into revealing where he’s hiding.
Interestingly, none of this is fiction. Or at least not entirely: the film is inspired by real-life Cosa Nostra boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who did exchange letters with the then-mayor of Castelverano while he was on the run. But the most fascinating aspect of the movie may be its possible commentary on the relationship between the mafia and Italian politics, a topic that is still very much relevant in the current political landscape of the country. (Clotilde Chinnici)
17. JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Todd Phillips
Writers: Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz
Country: United States
What happens when you take Joker (2019) and place most of the action inside its titular character’s deranged mind? A movie where anything is possible. Joker: Folie à Deux mostly takes place in Arkham Asylum, where Arthur Fleck is a patient – though how much time has passed since the last scene of the first movie is unclear. There, he meets Harley Quinn, also known as Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga); needless to say, the film is a musical. Which, on paper, shouldn’t work, but the trailer looks incredible. We expect a great spectacle, stunning musical numbers, and a movie that’s just as insane as its leads are while also retaining an emotional core. And yes, we might even dress up for the occasion. (Serena Seghedoni)
18. MARIA
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Pablo Larraín
Writer: Steven Knight
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Valeria Golino, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino
Country: Germany, USA, United Arab Emirates, Italy
In the past few years, Pablo Larraín has become famous for his biographical dramas on some of the most famous women in recent history: his English-language debut Jackie (2016) is an example, as is Spencer in 2021. This time, Larraín turns his focus to legendary opera singer Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie). Maria is set during Callas’ final years in the 1970s, when the singer was living in Paris. This will be an exciting chance for those who may not be familiar with Callas’ work and legacy to discover such an important figure in the world of classical music.
In a similar fashion, the film will be just as fascinating for fans of the opera singer as it will allow the viewers to revisit her brilliant and inspiring life while also paying homage to her. After competing for the Golden Lion in 2023 with El Conde, we’re excited to see Larraín back at the Venice Film Festival with his latest work. (Clotilde Chinnici)
19. MALDOROR
OUT OF COMPETITION
Director: Fabrice du Welz
Writers: Fabrice du Welz & Domenico La Porta
Cast: Anthony Bajon, Alba Gaïa Bellugi, Alexis Manenti, Sergi López, Laurent Lucas, David Murgia, Béatrice Dalle, Lubna Azabal, Jackie Berroyer, Mélanie Doutey, Félix Maritaud
Countries: Belgium, France
Director Fabrice du Welz, known for horror movies Calvaire (2004) and Alleluia (2014), shines a spotlight on the “Monster of Marcinelle,” a true crime story that shook Belgium in the 90s. The real-life figure is – TRIGGER WARNING TILL THE END OF THE SENTENCE! – serial killer Marc Dutroux, who is currently serving a life sentence for kidnapping, raping and murdering six young girls in 1985-1996, with the help of his wife. Given the subject matter, this won’t be an easy film to watch, even more so since it’s another long film, clocking in at 2 hours and 35 minutes. But it’s also a very promising one, as its main focus is on the failure of the legal system when it came to catching Dutroux. Maldoror also marks another collaboration between du Welz and producer Jean-Yves Roubin (Titane) – yet another reason for watching the film. (Serena Seghedoni)
20. ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN HEMME DIES
ORIZZONTI
Director & Writer: Murat Fıratoğlu
Cast: Salih Taşçı, Murat Fıratoğlu, Sefer Fıratoğlu, Güneş Sayın, Ali Barkın Birkan, Fırat Bozan, Çetin Fıratoğlu
Country: Turkey
“Truly independent cinema still exists,” says Alberto Barbera describing One of Those Days When Hemme Dies (Hemme’nin Öldüğü Günlerden Biri), calling it “unexpected and surprising”. Writer-director Murat Fıratoğlu’s debut has a very fascinating synopsis: “Every day we are saved from a hundred different deaths. Yet from the possibility of killing someone. While we are absorbed in our own stories, a man, who is just about to kill somebody, passes by.” We cannot wait to find out more. (Serena Seghedoni)
21. THE ORDER
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Justin Kurzel
Writer: Zach Baylin
Cast: Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Jurnee Smollett, Tye Sheridan, Marc Maron
Country: Canada
Justin Kurzel’s The Order is a crime thriller, set in 1983, that sees an FBI Agent (Jude Law) investigate a series of bank robberies across the Pacific Northwest. He’s convinced a domestic terrorist group and its charismatic leader (Nicholas Hoult) are behind them, and sets out to prove it.
Based on true events that inspired the non-fiction book ‘The Silent Brotherhood’ by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, The Order is entrenched in the world of Neo Nazis and white supremacy. Kurzel, as a director, is no stranger to some intense subject matters, with his previous films dealing with things like mass shootings (Nitram) and serial murders (Snowtown), as well as the Bard’s infamous Scottish play (Macbeth). With an impressive cast assembled, The Order feels like it will continue the Australian filmmaker’s streak of well-crafted and thoughtful insights into some pretty terrifying situations. (Claire Fulton)
22. PAVEMENTS
ORIZZONTI
Director: Alex Ross Perry
Writers: Alex Ross Perry & Stephen Malkmus
Cast: Joe Keery, Jason Schwartzman, Nat Wolff, Fred Hechinger, Logan Miller, Griffin Newman, Tim Heidecker, Michael Esper, Zoe Lister-Jones, Kathryn Gallagher
Country: United States
A lot of people will be drawn to Alex Ross Perry’s film for its all-star cast, but there are even more reasons why you should add Pavements to your watchlist. The main one is the band at its center, Pavement, which radically changed the lo-fi indie music scene in the 90s and is still hugely influential – not to mention deeply human, as confirmed by drummer Gary Young doc Louder Than You Think, which premiered at SXSW last year.
On top of this, Pavements uses a very interesting format. The film is both a documentary and a biopic, combining archival footage and mise-en-scene images composed of songs they wrote with scripted scenes where actors play the band members at a younger age. We have a very good feeling about this film! (Serena Seghedoni)
23. PEACOCK
INTERNATIONAL CRITICS’ WEEK
Director & Writer: Bernhard Wenger
Cast: Albrecht Schuch, Julia Franz Richter, Anton Noori, Maria Hofstätter, Theresa Frostad Eggesbø, Branko Samarovski, Salka Weber, Tilo Nest
Countries: Austria, Germany
In Peacock, the debut feature from Austrian director Bernhard Wenger, Matthias (Albrecht Schuch) works as a ‘rent-a-friend’, someone available for hire who can be everything from a cultured boyfriend to a perfect son. But in his private life, outside of his unusual workplace, Matthias struggles to be his authentic self.
The film was inspired by British black comedies and the cinema of Scandinavia, so it seems only fair to assume that Peacock will boast a distinct sense of humour and style, as well as some possibly satirical reflections on what it means to be a man, one’s self, and a human being in an increasingly manufactured society. (Claire Fulton)
24. QUEER
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Writer: Justin Kuritzkes
Cast: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman
Countries: Italy, United States
Upcoming historical romance drama Queer will reunite director Luca Guadagnino with screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes after their most recent – and widely successful – collaboration in Challengers just earlier this year. The film is based on a novel of the same name by William S. Borroughs, published in 1985. It also reunites Guadagnino with producer Lorenzo Mieli after they worked together on both Bones And All and Challengers.
The names attached to it make it one of the most anticipated films of the entire festival as Guadagnino once again turns to queer cinema – something that has been dear to him in previous films like Call Me By Your Name – with the mature and complex depiction of love and romantic relationships he has become known for. It will take audiences back to 1940s Mexico City, where Lee (Daniel Craig), an American expat fleeing from New Orleans, becomes infatuated with a younger man named Allerton (Drew Starkey), a discharged American Navy serviceman. (Clotilde Chinnici)
25. QUIET LIFE
ORIZZONTI
Director: Alexandros Avranas
Cast: Chulpan Khamatova, Grigoriy Dobrygin, Naomi Lamp
Countries: France, Germany, Sweden, Greece, Estonia, Finland
Silver Lion and Volpi Cup winner Miss Violence shocked Venice Lido in 2013, delivering the very definition of a plot twist. Director Alexandros Avranas returns to the festival with Quiet Life, shining a spotlight on teenage kids of refugees, who often end up isolating themselves from the world after they move to a new place. The film takes place in Sweden, where a refugee family’s youngest daughter inexplicably falls into a coma the moment their asylum request is denied. Quiet Life sounds like a timely watch, and knowing Avranas, we might be in for some surprises. (Serena Seghedoni)
26. THE ROOM NEXT DOOR
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Writers: Pedro Almodóvar & Sigrid Nunez
Cast: Tilda Swinton, Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Alessandro Nivola, Juan Diego Botto, Raúl Arévalo, Victoria Luengo, Alex Hogh Andersen, Esther McGregor, Alvise Rigo, Melina Matthews
Country: Spain
Legendary director Pedro Almodóvar unleashes his first English language feature film upon Venice audiences with The Room Next Door, a comedy drama about imperfect mother and war journalist Martha (Tilda Swinton) and the relationship she rekindles with author Ingrid (Julianne Moore).
It’s a film that deals with war, life, death, reality, friendship and sex via how the two women write about it, and allows Almodóvar to continue exploring his native Spain’s cultural and political landscapes on the big screen. It will undoubtedly imbue a lot of the director’s flair, style and voice into a reflection on relationships – particularly those we inhabit as we mature – and hopefully delight audiences who are both fans of and new to Almodóvar’s work. (Claire Fulton)
27. SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS
VENICE DAYS
Directors: Stephen and Timothy Quay
Cast: Tadeusz Janiszewski, Wioletta Kopańska, Andrzej Kłak
Countries: UK, Poland, Germany
The film with the most disquieting synopsis is also one of the most compelling movies in the Giornate degli Autori’s (Venice Days) lineup this year. Identical twins Stephen and Timothy Quay, known as the Quay Brothers, are writers, directors, and stop-motion animators with a very distinctive style. Their work is darkly surreal, highly symbolic and often involving inanimate objects coming to life; it’s also haunting and thought-provoking, asking humanity’s biggest questions in a psychologically compelling way. What’s even more impressive is that the Brothers write, direct, animate, and edit their own work, making it unequivocally their own.
Judging by its plot, Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass is no exception. The film begins on a ghostly train; a boy named Jozef is on it, on a journey to visit his dying father in a Galician Sanatorium. When he gets there, Jozef discovers that, back in his own country, his father has died. But this death hasn’t yet occurred in the Sanatorium yet, where things happen with a delay. As Jozef explores it, he slowly realizes he’s stuck in a floating world where he’s neither asleep nor alive, and where events cannot be measured in the same way. We’re in for a treat. (Serena Seghedoni)
28. SHAHED / THE WITNESS
ORIZZONTI EXTRA
Director & Writer: Nader Saeivar
Cast: Maryam Bobani, Nader Naderpour, Hana Kamkar, Abbas Imani, Ghazal Shojaei
Countries: Germany, Austria
Retired dance teacher Tarlan (Maryam Bobani) witnesses the murder of an important government figure in Iran. But when the police refuse to investigate, she must decide whether to bow to political pressure, or risk her life, reputation and livelihood in the pursuit of justice.
Not much else is known about Nader Saeivar’s Shahed (The Witness) yet, but from the premise alone, it feels like an important watch. It feels like a film that delicately explores the danger of living in an authoritarian state, of being put in the position of having to choose whether to toe the line or stick true to your own values and ideals. But it also feels like the story of a woman, particularly one in a cultural and political landscape that does not value her as an equal, who defies expectation and presumption to stand up for what she believes in, and that’s definitely a message worth taking. (Claire Fulton)
29. STRANGER EYES
VENEZIA 81: IN COMPETITION
Director: Siew Hua Yeo
Cast: Chien-Ho Wu, Kang-Sheng Lee, Anicca Panna, Vera Chen, Pete Teo, Xenia Tan, Maryanne Ng-Yew
Countries: Singapore, Taipei, France, United States
The first film from Singapore to ever premiere at the Venice Film Festival comes from director Siew Hua Yeo, who wrote and directed the Locarno Golden Leopard-winning A Land Imagined in 2018. Stranger Eyes (Mò shì lù) centers on a young couple looking for their missing daughter. One day, they find recordings of some of their most private moments together, which seem to have been taken by a voyeuristic stranger. And so begins an investigation to find out not only who took the videos, but also the truth behind them. We’re in. (Serena Seghedoni)
30. WOLFS
OUT OF COMPETITION
Director & Writer: Jon Watts
Cast: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, Poorna Jagannathan, Zlatko Burić, Richard Kind
Country: United States
When lone wolf crime scene fixer – literally, a guy who solves dead problems for a living – Jack (George Clooney) finds himself hired for the same job as fellow lone wolf crime scene fixer Nick (Brad Pitt), the pair must reluctantly work together as the situation spirals into something much more dangerous and chaotic than originally assumed.
Fresh from his incredibly successful MCU Spider-Man trilogy, director Jon Watts has teamed up with two of Hollywood’s biggest stars in a film that was written specifically for them. Wolfs riffs on the pair’s infamous real-life friendship, letting their chemistry and scene-stealing abilities play off each other in a dynamic much more focused around them as a twosome, as opposed to the likes of the Ocean’s films that were much more ensemble centred. With the full force of Pitt’s wit and Clooney’s charm on display, it feels like Wolfs will definitely be something entertaining and worth a watch. (Claire Fulton)
2024 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL – 15 MORE MOVIES TO WATCH AT VENEZIA 81:
- 2073, Asif Kapadia – Out of Competition, Non Fiction
- Alpha, Jan-Willem van Ewijk – Venice Days
- Familia, Francesco Costabile – Orizzonti
- To Kill a Mongolian Horse, – Venice Days
- Kill the Jockey, Luis Ortega – In Competition
- King Ivory, John Swab – Orizzonti Extra
- La Storia del Frank e della Nina, Paola Randi – Orizzonti Extra
- M: Son of the Century, Joe Wright – Out of Competition (Series)
- Marco, Jon Garaño & Aitor Arregi – Orizzonti
- Mistress Dispeller, Elizabeth Lo – Orizzonti
- Qing Chun Gui, Wang Bing – In Competition
- Planet B, Aude Léa Rapin – Critics’ Week, Opening Film
- Separated, Errol Morris – Out of Competition, Non Fiction
- Vermiglio, Laura Delpero – In Competition
- Why War, Amos Gitai – Out of Competition, Non Fiction
The 2024 Venice Film festival will take place at Venezia Lido on August 28 – September, 7 2024. Read the full Venezia 80 lineup and come back soon for our reviews!
Header credits: Lorenzo Mattotti per La Biennale di Venezia – ASAC
