On the 6th of spring, the Venice Film Festival ended on the island of Lido, which presented a lot of bright moments. Film critic Sonya Vselyubska talks about the best film programs.
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“Kim Novak's Vertigo”, directed by Alexander O. Philip
The author of the cinephile film about cinema, Alexander O. Philip, presented a film about one of the most magical articles of the Golden Series to Hollywood – the actor Kim Novak, who played in “Broken” (Vertigo, 1958) by Alfred Hitchcock. However, this role was not limited to her career.
Following the typical patterns of a documentary biopic, the director opens the film with atmospheric shots of the actor’s cabin on a birch and the ocean, and her voiceover conveys alarming thoughts about the fear of death. Through chaotic reports, family photo archives and video clips from their films, we realize how little they knew about Novak. Having fallen into the cinema after her modeling career, she was once again a very sensitive girl, afraid of losing her power in endless film images. Therefore, the role of Hitchcock’s story about anxieties from the position of the human gaze became existentially important for her, as well as the film from the mirror and fears of Kim Novak
It is impressive how knowledgeable and elegant the 92-line actor is in her reflections, and those like O. Philip know the right accents in the film in order to show the right expressions in front of the camera. The moment becomes an emotional catharsis when Novak dares to open the box containing that same gray suit from the movie “Confused.” When you take it in your hands with tears, you say: “I guess I can catch the smell of my past.” At film festivals, the actress charged the city for contributions to cinematic developments.
“Unbreakable”, directed by Benny Safdie
“Unbreakable” is the solo debut of Benny Safdie, who previously worked in a duo with his brother Joshua Safdie, who created such works as “Uncut Costs” (2019) and “Garni Hours” (2017). In independent directing, Benny has shown himself to be a sensitive author who maintains a greater rhythm than the previous ones. It is based on the story of Michael Kerr, a professional fighter in mixed martial arts, who has never known defeat until he fought in the ring with Igor Vovchanchich (Olexandr Usyk) from Ukraine. Beginning as a stylized biopic of the 90s, “Unbreakable” gradually reveals itself as a film about the crisis of masculinity and staleness.
The incredible Dwayne Johnson, who lost 27 kilograms for this role, has once again emerged as a dramatic actor who is not afraid to take a beating, physically or mentally. For the role of his girlfriend, Safdi asked the famous Emily Blunt to wear a flirty 90s outfit and a white French jacket. However, the most notable appearance on the screen is Oleksandr Usyk, who looks Ukrainian in the frame and is even more charismatic in the comfortable color image of the 16mm film. For this sensitive and talented film, Safdi was praised for its best directing. “Unbreakable” was released in Ukrainian distribution with a tribute to fate.
“Frankenstein” directed by Guillermo del Toro
One of the most popular world premieres was the new film by Guillermo del Toro “Frankenstein”, a Mexican master of the world of life. We truly trust Netflix and the participation of del Toro’s talented actors, who will have collected all the resources to create such a large-scale worldwide production. The original novel by Mary Shelley (1818), in the hands of the director, is transformed into a cruel fairy tale with a detailed gothic atmosphere and a sentimental scenario. “Frankenstein” provisoly guesses: the promise of creating a monster now comes from the best heart. The film is divided into chapters: first the story of Victor Frankenstein, and then the story of the Creature, which allows you to figure out which of them is truly a monster. Given the advantage of the Creation's perspective, del Toro created the most attractive monster to come out of his laboratory.
Don’t be incredulous, because del Toro’s town will again take all possible signs during the season. Costumes, music, acting and craftsmanship in the creation of prosthetics with minimal use of computer graphics deserve the collective treasure. And Jacob Elordi has been talking about the role of Frankenstein for a long time. The film premieres on Netflix on November 7.
“The Quiet Friend”, directed by Ildiko Enyedi
The film by Ugric director Ildiko Enyedi was shown at the festival, but was the most impressive in the competition. Podії are burning in the German university: films, taken as a guide to the past and present, which have dedicated the life of science in these walls. All of them have a special passion for botany, with a direct interest in exploring the communicative powers of nature. The page begins with the story of a neuroscientist, who, in the hour of stress on a stranger, finds a friend in a particular tree. The tree itself becomes an element that unites the heroes, as well as the subject of their further investigation, which a French colleague (Lea Seydoux) will help uncover.
Enyedi has always been inspired by the mastery of creating a special visual aesthetics, and the painting “The Quiet Friend” reaches a new level. The frames are filled with unimportant perspectives through the macro-zoom of the Roslins, which is why it is imperative to play it safe in the credits.
The main role is played by Vikon Tony Leung, one of the most famous Chinese actors who worked with Wong Kar-wai and Yong Li. And Luna Velder, who imbued the image of the girl who first entered the patriarchal University of Marburg, gave away Marcello Mastroianni to the city as the most young actor.
“Silian's Confession”, directed by Tamara Kotevska
The 82nd Venice Festival presented us with a strong selection of documentary films. One of the most popular films was the new work of Tamari Kotevska, a director from Pivnichnaya Macedonia. It was only 26 years ago that the documentary film “Honeyland” (2019) about the self-absorbed woman received two Oscar nominations. This new film “The Tale of Sylian” continues to talk about the ecological and economic crisis of the native land, which radically changes the lives of ordinary people.
At the center of the story is the summer farmer Nikola. For 15 years, they worked in the fields, just as the regional markets began to be filled with cheap imports, and spent a lot of money. His family is forced to emigrate, and now Nikola is lost in the middle of his fields. At the same time, a line of herbs is growing, which, through the west of the farmlands, is spreading to the wasteland. There are two wounded souls hovering there – Nikola, who now works on a Smitten tractor, and the wounded nurse, who is lost in the middle of the exits. This is how this wonderful friendship begins.
The film impresses with its beauty, brilliant cinematography and amazing story, which the director was able to create by showing both people and the world of creatures. After Venice, the page hit the Toronto Film Festival, which is immediately alarming, and then it can be seen at all the largest documentary festivals in the world. Vaughn could also become a serious competitor to Ukrainian director Mstislav Chernov in documentary longlists.
“The Inclusion Method” directed by Park Chan-wook
The head of the Man-su family has a constant idyll: children, two dogs and a team in the presence of a luxurious home. If his company is bought by an American winemaker, everything turns into a tragedy. Not knowing a new place, looking forward to subscribing to Netflix and letting their dogs go for a walk, Man-su's grandfather became more obsessed with the idea of taking care of his family. So he comes up with a motor plan – to eliminate all competitors for one of the most prestigious vacancies in the region. If you feel the phrase “there was no other choice” at the hour of departure, now you repeat it yourself, tidying up your skin competitor.
“No Other Choice” is an evil satire, as through speciesism, comically, it shows that human life does not mean anything in the capitalist system. One of the most famous original Korean authors, Park Chan-wook, lost neither drive nor creativity from the hours of “Oldboy” (2003). Two years after “Decision to Sing” (2022), he once again presents a rich genre picture with folding mise-en-scènes and carefully thought-out camera hands. But its unsatisfactory humor and plot twists are already on par with “Parasite” (2019) by Bong Joon Ho. Surely, this film was a great box office success and was released in Ukraine throughout history.
“Boodynok Dynamite”, directed by Katherine Bigelow
The master of the American thriller Katherine Bigelow presented a new film first after 2017. “Boodinok Dynamite” has become the latest continuation of the unofficial triptych after the Oscar-winning “The Bearer of the Storm” (2008) and “Thirty Evenings at Night” (2012), which the director follows the American mentality in the context of the political machine and the endless war.
“Boodinok Dynamite” tells about one wound in the “safety room”, which the blissful heroine of Rebecca Ferguson is devastated by. On the screens, the paramedics mark the lost target, which is directly towards Chicago. Despite the entire arsenal of American communications, no one can detect the signs of a launch event. It is also not possible to achieve the goal, but to carry out adequate international changes. Bigelow's film takes a look through the numerous cramped rooms of the White House, showcasing technological gadgets, extensive military vocabulary, and the haircuts of politicians who have lost more than 90 pieces of hair.
Bigelow found not only a clear thriller that has been in suspense all two years, but she became one of the poorest directors in the competition who is extremely pessimistic about talking to the audience about the Russian threat. Dris Elba played the President of the United States, who reigns for the whole world. And finally, a sense of dissatisfaction with the name of the film emerges. The page will be available on Netflix on 24 June.
