Photograph - Walt Disney Studios - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
The Venice International Film Festival
The Banshees of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh who directed and wrote the script of the film The Banshees of Inisherin is set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, it follows lifelong friends Padraic and Colm, who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. A stunned Padraic, aided by his sister Siobhan and troubled young islander Dominic, endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But Padraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.
Main cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson
photograph ASAC - A.Avezzu - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
Director's Statement
"...I did want to do something a little quieter and less in-your-face than the other movies. It’s definitely less Hollywood. It feels quite sort of European somehow, although that wasn’t in my head when I was doing it. But I knew there was room for the landscapes to be part of it. I wanted it to be as beautiful as any Irish film has been, if possible. So we were always aiming for that, which allowed us to leave more space and quietness I think than in some of the other movies. It’s probably less plotty and more of a character study than any of the others too. But I think it’s equally as funny as the funny bits of the others."
Martin McDonagh
told Alex Ritman of The Hollywood Reporter
Awarded Best Screenplay
Photograph - Walt Disney Studios - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
The Banshees of Inisherin
Colin Farrell
photograph ASAC - A.Avezzu - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
Coppa Volpi - Best Actor
Colin Farrell
The Banshees of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh receives the prize for Colin Farrell
Red Carpet
Colin Farrell
The Red Carpet
Martin McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson
Official still - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
Dead for a Dollar
Walter Hill
1897. Dead for a Dollar - directed and screenplay by Walter Hill - follows veteran bounty hunter Max Borlund deep into Mexico where he encounters professional gambler and outlaw Joe Cribbens—a sworn enemy who Max sent to prison years before. Borlund is on a mission to find and return Rachel Kidd, the hostage wife of a wealthy Santa Fe businessman. Discovering that Mrs. Kidd has actually fled from an abusive marriage, Max is ultimately faced with a choice: finish the dishonest job he’s been hired to accomplish or stand aside while ruthless mercenary outlaws and his long-time rival close in... Max and his partner Alonzo Poe have nothing to gain if they resist— nothing save honour.
Main cast: Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Brosnahan, Warren Burke, Benjamin Bratt.
Director's Statement
"Dead For A Dollar is a small and simple tale, but one that tries to valorise many of the tropes of the traditional western: primitive nobility, ordeals of combat that define honour, nostalgia for the past, and the old hard religion of courage. But simultaneously, it’s an attempt to deal with the modern issues of race and gender that we still struggle with today. It was my good fortune to write and direct the film. Getting it financed was a miracle. Working with the cast, a beatitude.'
Walter Hill
Awarded Cartier Glory to the Filmaker Award
Dead for a Dollar
William Dafoe
Dead for a Dollar
Rachel Brosnahan and Christoph Waltz
Dead for a Dollar
Rachel Brosnahan
photograph Matteo Gastel - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
The Hanging Sun
Francesco Carrozzini
John is on the run after defying his father, a crime boss. Pursued by his brother, John heads to the far North. He comes to an isolated village, where the sun never sets, with a small community of strict religious conformists: a place that seems to belong to another era. There, he meets Lea, a woman in difficult straits, but showing great strength, and her son Caleb, a curious child with a pure heart. Lea also has her demons: the death at sea of her abusive husband Aaron. As the days go by, the three grow closer. For Lea, John is the first man able to offer her protection, but without depriving her of her freedom; and for Caleb, he is an unhoped-for father figure with whom he can share his world. John also seems to glimpse in this encounter the possibility of redemption and a new life. Inevitably, they begin to feel like a newly-formed family. With John at bay as his brother closes in, and Aaron’s brother setting his sights on Lea, the two must find a way to break the ties to their past and start over.
Main cast: Alessandro Borghi, Jessica Brown Findlay, Sam Spruell, Frederick Schmidt, Raphael Vicas, Peter Mullan, Charles Dance.
Alessandro Borghi and Jessica Brown Findlay
Director's Statement
"When I first read Nesbo’s novel Midnight Sun, I was in California, and nothing could have been further from the landscapes described. Yet, I immediately felt passionate about this story of life at the very edge of the world. All the work I subsequently did on myself and consequently on the film meant a bumpy, surprising and cathartic journey, during which I became a father and learned what it means to be a son. Stefano Bises’ writing gave great power to the path, helping to solidify a romantic drama with the cement of noir. And finally, the relationship with these rare, talented actors revealed to me the magic of making cinema, a dream I always had and which has now become reality."
Francesco Carrozzini
The Hanging Sun
Alessandro Borghi
The Hanging Sun
Charles Dance
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Favorite Films
Please Note
My Favorite films selection is based on the films I saw - unfortunately I was unable to see all the films - especially
Tar
Todd Field
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Laura Poitras
which I look forward to seeing in the near future