Not every film at the Venice Film Festival was competing for the Golden Lion. Here are my thoughts on some of the hidden indie gems that were screened there.
The Featherweight
The Featherweight (Robert Kolodny), is a fictional documentary that follows the life of recently retired Willie Pep, former featherweight champion of the world. It’s a refreshing format that really does lend itself to a washed-up sports celebrity trying to scratch together a life from the ruins of his fame. Voyeuristically lingering in private moments of conflict and strife, the camera is its own character, painting Pep as incapable of anything more than living deep within the past.
The viewer is left to wonder how much of this problematic character is the real Pep, and how much is influenced by the fictional documentary crew. An excellent example of immersive cinema.
Explanation For Everything
Explanation for Everything (Gábor Reisz) is a deceptively simple tale of a Hungarian boy struggling with his final exam that grows into a political thriller. Far from grandstanding a personal view on Hungarian nationalism, director Gábor Reisz instead opts to focus on the small picture of Abel and his family as they struggle through a divided country.
It’s political without being partisan, exploring the very human effects of toxic polarisation on an everyday family. Despite the heavy themes, Reisz manages to deliver this intimate story at an exciting pace. No wonder it picked up the Best Film award in the Horizons competition.
An Endless Sunday
An Endless Sunday (Alain Parroni) is a coming of age drama that certainly feels endless as we watch teenagers Brenda, Kevin and Alex drift through life between Rome and the surrounding countryside.
Initially promising, with some beautiful cinematography capturing a sense of youthful aimlessness, the film ends up languishing for the majority of its runtime. When it finally picks up pace, the plot becomes absurdly dramatic and out of touch with its slow build. I was definitely glad when it ended.
That wraps up my coverage of the 80th Venice Biennale and Film Festival. Stay tuned for next month when I head to the BFI London Film Festival to see Saltburn, Killers of the Flower Moon, All of Us Strangers, and more!
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