CineCola's 72nd Venice Film Festival top 10

 

This list is composed of the films viewed and reviewed by CineCola throughout the 72nd VENICE FILM FESTIVAL. Naturally, it does not include the films that were featured in the programme, but not viewed and reviews by CineCola. It also does not feature films that were included in the programme and might have been previously viewed and reviewed at other festivals. It does, however, include films from all the sections of the festivals that qualify i.e. official competition, out of competition, Orizzonti, Venice Days, Critics Week and Venice Classics - Documentaries. And the list is also in order of preference.

10 - UNDERGROUND FRAGRANCE by Pengfei

PENGFEI's first feature is set among the drifting community of Beijing, and uses an architectural allegory to represent its society through portraying the lives of people living underground in a makeshift home adapted from a former bomb shelter, waiting for their big break that will finally help them move above ground, where things are not so rosey either. It particularly follows the lives of three characters, a boy and a girl but also a man living above ground, scratching and clawing to stay there despite his failing health and his bank account drying up. The examination of its setting also serves a unique and focused architectural allegory for the society of modern Beijing and for ambition. The architecture also evidently affects the meticulous stillness of the camerawork, whether it is the decay of the makeshift housing or the sublime futurism of the buildings of the wealthier classes. Out of this representation, UNDERGROUND FRAGRANCE also tells stories of relationships, romance, friendship and surrogate father son relationships, but these plot devices are used sparingly in order to invite the viewer to a deeper engagement and in order to remain focused on the essential loneliness of the three characters who are the centre pieces of the film, whose lives mix naturally but who nevertheless remain untied to one another due to the essential distance between that remains between them.

9 - EARLY WINTER by Michael Rowe

The winning film of the top prize of VENICE DAYS 2015, independent section of the VENICE FILM FESTIVAL, is a powerful and brutally honest portrayal of a married couple who are kept together by committment rather than passion or love. Its stark realism is defined by unceremonious and repetitive sequences marked by a deafening silence between husband and wife, whose conversations are predictable and always seem to conceal a sense of bitterness. MICHAEL ROWE's EARLY WINTER is a film that is as cold as the title implies, as well as purposefully awkward and uncomfortable. This is conveyed by the lengthy one shot sequences, out of which the tension between the two central characters becomes evident, as well as their growing resentment for one another, and the selfishness of their suspicions and jealousies. Further strengthening the engulfing atmosphere are the performances by PAUL DOUCET and SUZANNE CLEMENT, in their roles that required them to completely ignore the camera so as to achieve as realistic a portrayal of the lives of their respective characters as possible, and it is also because of that that EARLY WINTER is ultimately a successful and haunting representation of loveless marriage.
 
 
8 - JANIS by Amy Berg
 
AMY BERG sways away from her investigative documentary style to give us a candid portrayal of the life and times of one of the most iconic figures of the psychedelic rock and blues scene of the sixties - JANIS JOPLIN. BERG is quite interested, of course, in her rise to fame and her love of music, but is also concerned most compellingly with the human side of the story, and more particularly with her identity as a woman, defined by fears and insecurities which also shaped her personality, such as her experiences of being bullied at school, her constant frustration with her looks as well as her troubles with loneliness. This somewhat goes against her image of a woman constantly smiling and rebellious. JANIS is enriched by priceless archive footage, some of which is seen for the first time, and its tempo is lively and exciting, dictated by the artist's music. But it also includes some excellent contributions by her family, friends, former band members and some notable names such as the ever charming DICK CAVETT and of course KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, who penned what is perhaps her most famous hit ME AND BOBBY MCGEE. A must watch for all fans of both JOPLIN and the exciting culural times for which she became a symbol.
 
 
7 - 11 MINUTES by Jerzy Skolimowski
 
The man who once took 17 years off filmmaking returns five years after his last film with his much different, and arguably more mainstream friendly film - 11 MINUTES. JERZY SKOLIMOWSKY's film on the helplessness of human life in the face of fate is brought to the screen at a frantic and exciting pace, and follows the lives of several characters during the course of the titular time frame, which then results to a cathartic and breathtaking final sequence. Despite the importance of the ending, however, the rest of the film is just as interesting, and SKOLIMOWSKI's masterful handling of the many different lives whose snapshots we get are just as fascinating and gripping, and reveal an excellent work of editing and post production. But it is also interesting because of the way in which the stories are brought to the screen in often different ways and styles, some of its vignettes being much calmer and others more anxiety driven, one of them even openly flirting with nightmarish surrealism. The use of guitar, bass and drums music by PAWEL MYKIETYN to further intensify the experience is also worthy of note. 
 
 
6 - BLEAK STREET by Arturo Ripstein
 
ARTURO RIPSTEIN returns to the scene with a script from his wife and collaborator PAZ ALICIA GARCIADIEGO based on a true and bizarre story of the lives of two midget wrestlers and two aged prostitutes crossing in a tragic twist of fate. BLEAK STREET encourages the theme of destiny, not only through the characters referencing it, almost as if they were clinging to a glimmer of hope or fuelled in detemination by it, but also by keeping the parallel storlines separate until the final act of the film. The story is set among the marginalised and empoverished communities of Mexico City. It is shot in black and white photography, a distinctive choice that gives the film a welcome air of timelessness and a unique charge intensified by lights and shadows which recalls neo-realism. It is a riveting mixture of traditionalist filmmaking, which much like neo-realism does not shy away from using comedy and a dark sense of humour to portray its delicate themes and deliver a genuine representation and human outlook on its unusual characters, all elements that define the cinema of ARTURO RIPSTEIN. BLEAK STREET IS A gripping vision inspired by oft forgotten truths about modern society, forced to live in almost surreal ways just to get by, whether in the shadows in the darkness of street corners or under spotlights in the middle of a ring.

 

5 - IN JACKSON HEIGHTS by Frederick Wiseman

In these tense times of division, a strikingly realistic, intuitive portrait of a neighbourhood of New York defined by its many influences from numerous cultural, religious and social backgrounds stands as a natural celebration of diversity. FREDERICK WISEMAN's latest film IN JACKSON HEIGHTS is an over three hour portrait of the area's sight and sounds, but also its struggles to maintain their policy of tolerance and exciting identity in their near hopeless fight against the invasion of capitalism and large corporations who are keen to get their hands on the area by erecting big chain stores that will ultimately get rid of their small businesses. WISEMAN's distinctive documentary approach remains unchanged, and his subtle touch which prevents blatant manipulation, especially in its editing, makes it all the more immersive, whether he shows meetings of small shop owners, impromptu LGBT marches, street musician performances or people watching a World Cup match outside an electrical store on a TV in a window display. But far from it being a simple collage of different sequences, the documentary is compact because of its awareness of tone and atmosphere, which makes it compact and complete as well as fluid in pace and rhythm.

4 - THE ENDLESS RIVER by Oliver Hermanus

Initially booed at its first screening, THE ENDLESS RIVER by OLIVER HERMANUS is actually one of the most different and stand out films that was presented at the 72ND VENICE FILM FESTIVAL. Its story talks about the casual meeting between a Frenchman who recently moved to South Africa with his family, and a woman who is re-united with her husband after his spell in jail due to gang related activities at a cafè. But their destinies will bring them together due to a violent act that takes place in the film's first act. THE ENDLESS RIVER moves at a lyrical, slow and meditative pace that is flattered by its watercolour like cinematography by CHRIST LOTZ. And despite the thriller noir suit that it mostly follows, as the third act of the film especially shows, the film is much better when taken as a remuneration on more inner musings on relationships and guilt, which recalls the alienated tone of the works of ANTONIONI. Perhaps a little demanding for some, OLIVER HERMANUS in his bold directing style shows a confidence that is mostly lacking in today's cinema, but its vision of bleakness and human disenchantment is absolutely disarming.

3 - THE DAUGHTER by Simon Stone

Excellent directorial debut by SIMON STONE, whose intricate dramatic storyline about families and secrets in rural Australia remains focused, well-balanced and absolutely gripping throughout. THE DAUGHTER chronicles the story between two different families from a logging town, a working class one and the other a wealthier one, which is tied together by the friendship between two men, one of whom returns to the village for the wedding of his father to his much younger former housekeeper. From start to finish, the engaging soap-operatic film recalls the delicate subjects dealt with by DOUGLAS SIRK, while its uncomfortable bluntness and grey cinematography not only defies the conventional masculine representation of the Australian countryside but also seems influenced by the immediacy and quiet sensibilities of Scandinavian cinema. Aside from the excellent screenplay, which on top of keeping a careful steadiness despite its rather complicated structure does not disregard a powerful depth in the portrayal of its many characters, the amazingly talented cast assembled delivers powerful performances. Among them, ODESSA YOUNG as the titular sexually precocious but loving and well-raised daughter stands out, but the film also ultimately successfully thrives on the HOW MANY MILES TO BABYLON? like friendship between PAUL SCHNEIDER and EWEN LESLIE, who in their radically opposed personalities add a magnetic and pivotal tension to the story's progression.

2 - THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER by Brady Corbet

An exciting work of confidence, which daringly draws inspiration and openly references the cinema of such greats as SERGEI EISENSTEIN, ABEL GANCE and STANLEY KUBRICK, while even being unafraid to toy with early twentieth century history by imagining original psychological and philosophical views on human reasons that led to the rise of the politics of the post first World War period. THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER is all the more remarkable in style, concept and substance when considering that it is a first feature. Its story follows a young boy, the son of an advisor to the US president residing in France, and his growing rebelliousness towards his parents. His parents, on the other hand, are not neglectful or bad people, but represent the family standards and social etiquette of their times. Thus, ultimately, despite its wonderful chiaroscuro cinematography by LOL CROWLEY, and the boisterous soundtrack by SCOTT WALKER, particularly breathtaking in the film's introduction and epilogue sequences composed of archive footage, CORBET and co-writer MONA FASTVOLD also aim to represent such conventions with respectful authenticity. And in order to instensify the experience, the film depends upon a hypnotic and slow development to highlight its psychological tension, for which editor DAVID JANCSO's work must also be praised. Given the close-knit nature of the film, where all of its elements come together in one of the most exciting post-modernist period dramas of recent times, which for this reason will also be polarizing, THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER also shows how collaborative in nature the art of filmmaking really is, and how skilled CORBET really was in preventing the scale of the vision to get out of hand even by indulging in audacious scenarios.

1 - BEHEMOTH by Zhao Liang

BEHEMOTH is a lyrical documentary that carries a powerful environmental message. It shows the destruction of the landscapes of inner Mongolia at the hands of industrialisation, coal mining and other exploitative activities. Its serious and outraged tones use the allegories of the titular Biblical monster and a phantomatic descent from heaven to hell inspired by DANTE ALIGHIERI's DIVINE COMEDY. Yet the influences originate from ZHAO LIANG's own interest in all of the arts, and his sensibilities are what inspires the filmmaker to tie together authentic footage shot on location at coal mines, building sites and pastures with more imagined and poetic ones, such as a naked man lying down on the ground with his back facing the camera and a guide-like figure walking the landscape carrying a mirror on his back whilst breathing heavily - a direct reference to the dangers of pollution. BEHEMOTH is put together with musical precision, with attention to mood and atmosphere spellbinding and thought provoking. The cinematography is very intuitive, and this clearly shows in such shots as images fading in from strangely coloured smoke, which makes the working sites look like battlegrounds. These are all sequences that represent the strong viewpoint of the filmmaker, whose film largely depends on images to stir up emotions, rather than voice of god narration, which is only used by way of enriching poetic lingo. A masterful sense enhancing protest.