Splendour on the Lido comes into contrast with gloomy visions of the end of the world and downbeat epics across the Venice competition and Orizzonte section.
Venice 2024: Sunny Weather. Gloomy Cinema.
Festivals
Reviews and dispatches exploring the best new cinema premiering around the world.
The Party’s Over. But Prejudice Never Ends.
The Party’s Over casts prejudice as farce in this sharply-written tale of a wealthy Spanish lady reacting to a Senegalese immigrant in her midst. From TIFF.
Maldoror Brings Fincher Energy to a Horrific Moment in Belgian History
With hints of Zodiac and Seven, Fabrice du Welz’s new thriller Maldoror — charting the real-life murders of Belgian serial killer Marc Dutroux — aims for that nasty, slow burn.
Familia Provides a Nuanced Portrayal of Cyclical Bonehead Violence
Fascist bonehead study Familia refreshingly avoids clichéd redemption arcs in favour of a more nuanced take on the cyclical nature of toxic masculinity.
The Imhumane Perils of a Quiet Life
The dehumanisation of seeking asylum is piercingly explored in Alexandros Avranas’ horror-but-not-horror Quiet Life. Live from Venice Film Festival!
Locarno 2024: Something Fun
From Radu Jude’s latest essay experiments to Wang Bing’s second Youth film to Hong Sangsoo’s newest metafiction, Locarno 2024 brings the cinematic goods.
Mond Offers a Nuanced Cross-Cultural Tale of Female Solidarity
A washed-up Austrian MMA fighter finds herself immersed in a strange Jordanian family in Kurdwin Ayub’s Mond, her much-anticipated follow-up to Sonne.
Weightless Goes in Search of Love Past
A man’s grief-induced amnesia provides excellent inspiration for a journey through the past in Sara Fgaier’s powerful debut Weightless.
Art, Community and Accessibility on a Brazilian Tropical Island
In a cinema culture dominated by Hollywood, Festival de Vitória, now in its 31st year, puts a necessary spotlight on homegrown Brazilian film.
Tezeta Puts a Spotlight on the Little-Known History of Armenians in Ethiopia
The ten-years-in-the-making Tezeta is a lively and fascinating portrait of Armenia’s contribution to Ethiopian musical history.