by Helen Barlow
News out of Toronto, where both Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directing debut, The Lost Daughter screened after premiering in Venice, is that both films are prime Oscar contenders in the best film and directing categories. Benedict Cumberbatch is also a favourite for a best actor nomination for his transformative turn in The Power of the Dog.
Here are some of the best picks from the Venice programme.
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Critics have hailed Campion’s neo-western, based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel, as her best film since The Piano. The usually genial Cumberbatch plays a mean, closeted 1920s Montana rancher determined to undermine his brother’s marriage to a local widow, who are portrayed by real-life couple Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst. One would never imagine that the beautifully shot film with stunning outdoor vistas, was actually shot in the Otago region of New Zealand. Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee proves quite the scene stealer in a plot where the intricacies should come as a surprise. Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, who composed the score, also scored another Venice competition entry Pablo Larrain’s Spencer. Greenwood was previously Oscar-nominated in 2018 for Phantom Thread, so expect more nominations in 2022. Campion, who enjoyed working with a bigger budget, thanks to Netflix, won the Silver Lion for best director in Venice.
THE LOST DAUGHTER
Besides making her directing debut, Maggie Gyllenhaal also produced and adapted the screenplay for the film, which is based on the 2006 novel by the reclusive Elena Ferrante, with whom Gyllenhaal corresponded by letter ahead of the film. Olivia Colman has emerged as an awards contender for her portrayal of a mother and Italian literature specialist, who while on a mysteriously solitary holiday on an unnamed Greek island, ruminates on a passionate affair she had with another American academic (Gyllenhaal’s partner Peter Sarsgaard) in her youth, where the character is played by Jessie Buckley. Gyllenhaal won Venice’s screenwriting award for the film which was picked up by Netflix in August.
HAPPENING
Overall, it’s a year for women winning the top gongs. After Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland was awarded the best picture Oscar (after winning the Golden Lion last year) and Julia Ducournau’s French film Titane won the Cannes Palme d’Or, the little-known French director Audrey Diwan took out the Golden Lion in Venice for this absorbing, wrenching drama. Newcomer Anamaria Vartolomei plays a young woman seeking an abortion in 1963, when strict French laws prohibited it. The programme was so busy that few had seen the film, though the jury, headed by Palme d’Or and Oscar-winning Parasite director Bong Joon-ho and including Zhao and British actress Cynthia Erivo, was undoubtedly keen to give the big prize to a socially conscious independent film and not to a Netflix behemoth.
THE HAND OF GOD
Another early favourite and another Netflix entry, Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God has been hailed as his best film since The Great Beauty, which won the foreign film Oscar in 2014. The Hand of God won the Grand Jury Prize in Venice and is a likely Oscar contender in 2022. Filippo Scotti received the best newcomer award for his portrayal of a character based on the young Sorrentino. The film follows the director’s deliriously happy early life (his bon vivant father is portrayed by his regular actor Toni Servillo) before his parents’ tragic death.
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
Edgar Wright’s highly original psychological sci-fi thriller delivers Thomasin McKenzie the leading role the talented Kiwi actress deserves. Her troubled ‘60s-loving fashion student travels back in time to inhabit the body of an aspiring singer (Anja Taylor-Joy) only to learn that she has her own problems. Wright has fun infusing the film with an array of ‘60s hits including ‘Downtown’ sung by Taylor-Joy.
DUNE
Denis Villeneuve’s star-studded take on Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel is a big budget visual feast, echoing the breadth of Star Wars. The film really needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. The Guardian says the film is “blockbuster cinema at its dizzying, dazzling best” while Deadline calls it “Villeneuve’s Spectacular And Defining Version Of Sci-Fi Cult Classic”. Timothee Chalamet is tasked with carrying the film as his Paul Atreides character rises to his destiny to become a leader. He is ably supported by a cast of well-known actors, with Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem as standouts. Of course, this is only Part One of the story and Warner Brothers are waiting to see how this goes before greenlighting Part Two.
PARALLEL MOTHERS
In a career defined by striking portraits of women, Pedro Almodovar’s latest has his regular collaborator Penelope Cruz team with stunning young newcomer Milena Smit to portray two women who become inextricably linked by their brief time together in a maternity ward. Cruz won the best actress Silver Lion for her performance.
OFFICIAL COMPETITION
Cruz teams with regular co-star and good buddy, Antonio Banderas, for a hilarious film directed by Mariano Cohen and Gaston Duprat. She plays a hard-nosed director trying to make a film with a preening matinee idol, Banderas, who is in fine form as a character who is about as far from the genial actor as you can get. It’s the kind of funny film we need at a time when there are few good comedies around.
HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG
My favourite film in Venice, directed by Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine, is a documentary which traces the history of Cohen’s most famous song and the various versions it spawned. Cohen is seen enjoying a comeback in his later years and basically working until he dropped. A fascinating man and a heartwarming film.
BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN
No sex and drugs here, just Led Zeppelin’s distinctive brand of hard rock. The film traces how the infamously private band formed and created their distinctive sound. Zeppelin’s late, great drummer, John Bonham, is even included in interviews thanks to archival material unearthed in Australia.
OLD HENRY
Here’s one for the boys where there isn’t a woman in sight. Still, if you’re after a classic western, this is it. Set in 1906 Kansas, Coen Brothers regular Tim Blake Nelson (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) stars as Henry, a taciturn farmer whose son helps a wounded cowboy with wads of cash. Bad guys are after the cowboy and Henry must decide what to do.
SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE
Already available on Foxtel, In Treatment creator Hagai Levi’s adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s classic series boasts fine performances from Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac as a struggling couple who divorce but still love each other. Will they or won’t they get back together? So, there’s a thriller element too. The five-hour series is not to be missed.
SPENCER
Spencer should be mentioned as it stars Kristen Stewart, one of the best actors of her generation. Still, she’s a little too mannered as the self-harming Princess Diana, wandering dazed through palatial surrounds during the final days of her marriage. Chilean director Pablo Larrain gave us the far superior Jackie, which garnered Natalie Portman an Oscar nomination. The same is expected here.
