Download:: 2023 Venice Dispatch: That's a Wrap
The winners of the 80th Venice Film Festival were just announced. How did I do with my predix and how did the jury led by Damien Chazelle acquit themselves? Well, in both cases I’d say good enough. I correctly predicted two of the eight categories and the three films I expected to be big winners all went home with some hardware in hand. The ones I got wrong really came out of left field, though. Overall I can definitely live with this jury’s choices. With a lineup that falls noticeably short of last year’s in terms of quality, their picks could have been much worse. Let’s take a look.
Best Young Performer: Seydou Sarr (IO CAPITANO)
Called it. The most obvious and 100% correct choice. What a performance, what presence. Sarr anchors both the adventure and gripping drama of Io Capitano with a humanity that pierces your heart. The near-transparent openness of his whole being is incredible to watch. A most promising young actor who we’ll hopefully get to see more of.
Best Screenplay: EL CONDE
Even as a longtime Larraín fan I’m slightly surprised by this choice. El Conde is not among my favorites of the festival even though it does catch you with bursts of pure brilliance now and again. For me these moments stem mostly from Larraín’s cool, nasty direction and not necessarily from the script. But hey, any writer that thought to have Augusto Pinochet as a vampire and [redacted] as his mother/creator probably does deserve a prize.
Best Actor: Peter Sarsgaard (MEMORY)
Now I did not see this coming. Memory is a two-hander but Chastain has much more to do than her co-lead. Sarsgaard plays a dementia patient who, in the film’s mysterious first act, you’re not sure whether to trust, sympathize with, or be afraid of. But once a significant detail about her relationship with Chastain’s character is cleared up, the performance somewhat lost its dangerous appeal to me.
Best Actress: Cailee Spaeny (PRISCILLA)
OOOOKAY. Obviously not a complete surprise as I did have Spaeny among the contenders but… yeah. My biggest issue with Priscilla is that, to me, it tells the story of a woman who was not allowed to have a story. This may very well be a truthful description of the relationship portrayed, but it doesn’t make for the richest, most rewarding material. I will say that the film and Spaeny are both wonderful in the first hour, where the tricky courtship between Elvis and a young Priscilla is very sensitively depicted. Still, in such a competitive year for the category, this would not have been my choice.
Best Director: Matteo Garrone (IO CAPITANO)
I predicted Io Capitano to double dip but didn’t expect the second prize to be for its direction. Not exactly unhappy about this – Io Capitano is a beautifully directed film that walks the line between realism and fantasy – it’s just that there are directors in this lineup who did things that are even more out there that I would have loved to see recognized, especially by such a director-heavy jury. A Bonello shout-out (The Beast), in particular, feels like a missed opportunity.
Special Jury Prize: GREEN BORDER
Aww Agnieszka Holland looked disappointed. Well she shouldn’t be. Lion or no lion, she made a film that’s not just important for the message it sends, but also absolutely harrowing as a viewing experience. It has the potential to reach a wide audience and actually change minds, which has to be the most prized legacy of a film.
Grand Jury Prize: EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
While a predicted winner, I did not see Hamaguchi’s latest being so beloved by this jury. It’s a gorgeously shot if narratively unsurprising little charmer – until it isn’t. I guess the film’s late, brutal switch in tone really worked for Chazelle & Co. I’m definitely not complaining, but will need a second watch to confirm what I saw.
Golden Lion: POOR THINGS
When I was finalizing my predictions, I kept wondering if this jury was going to go for stuff that blew their mind or touched their heart? In the end, Lanthimos masterful mind-blower triumphed and the win is more than deserved. While I ultimately lost my heart to Stéphane Brizé’s romantic scorcher Out of Season, there’s no denying that Poor Things is the most boldly conceived and ingeniously realized film of the competition. It’s thoughtful, it’s visually stunning and it’s crazy funny. Congratulations to both the jury and the festival for ending the 80th anniversary edition with such an all-around winner.
That concludes my dispatches from Venice this year, where I saw a total of 41 films (plus 1x repeat viewing of Out of Season) and slept little. If my writing sometimes didn’t sound right or even make sense, we’ll blame it on that. Hope you enjoyed following along anyways. Until next time!
