The COVID-19 pandemic and the piss-poor American response to the virus has really hurt movies in 2020. Not just the industry, but film festivals where everyone gathers in close quarters. COVID-19 killed the SXSW Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival and has ensured that the Toronto International Film Festival will be all but virtual for all American critics (there will be public screenings for Canadians). One festival unbowed is the Venice Film Festival, which might just be a testament to not only Italy’s resolve but also its discipline. You’ll remember in February, before Coronavirus had made its big mark in the U.S. the following month, Italy was really getting hammered, suffering hundreds of deaths a day, and was actually warning Americans to be careful and about the dangers to come on social media. (Americans being Americans, we really didn’t listen.)
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So, fast forward almost six months, and Italy has done such a great job handling the virus and actually listening to experts and maintaining their quarantine, things are under control enough to keep the Lido going. Venice is smaller this year, no doubt. Netflix has taken all its films off the film festival circuit and many studios and filmmakers are simply waiting until COVID-19 passes (nervous laughter). But, while Venice may be low in American fare and big celebrities, there’s still a lot of intriguing films going to be premiering this week. Here are 10 films, plus an extended honorable mention of titles to look out for. – Rodrigo Perez
“The World to Come”
Essentially confined to an empty existence on her husband Dyer’s (Casey Affleck) upstate farm, Abigail (Katherine Waterston) is finding her feelings at odds with her circumstances more and more each day, as she fills up blank journal pages. But come Spring, when a newly arrived couple (Vanessa Kirby, Christopher Abbott) lease a neighboring area of land, she develops a passionate connection with Tallie (Kirby), attracted to both her alluring beauty and blunt nature. The husbands soon become increasingly envious of their wives’ blossoming relationship, and the women question whether there even is a place for their relationship in nineteenth-century society. Based on a short story from writer Jim Shepard’s acclaimed collection of the same name, aspects of “The World to Come” – the second feature from Norwegian-born, Brooklyn based actor and director, Mona Fastvold (“The Sleepwalker”) – sound a bit reminiscent of the period works by pioneer feminist filmmakers such as Gillian Armstrong (“My Brilliant Career”) or Maggie Greenwald (“The Ballad of Little Jo”). –Andrew Bundy
“Mainstream”
Frankie (Maya Hawke) serves drinks at a Hollywood comedy club. She’s in her early-20s, still struggling to find direction, and wrestling with what really matters in life. After all, how is anyone to feel happy with themselves in a world dominated by the self-absorbed animal that is social media? But, after Frankie has a few run-ins with a slightly older, anti-establishment rebel named Link (Andrew Garfield), she comes up with the idea to record his rants and upload them online, attempting to turn Link and his ravings into an internet sensation. Things don’t go as smoothly as planned, Frankie and Link finding their motivation being hijacked by the pressure and demands of maintaining internet relevance. “Mainstream,” Gia Coppola’s sophomore follow-up to her 2013 debut “Palo Alto,” holds a mirror (or maybe a selfie stick) up to the illusory nature of online culture, exploring the psychological repercussions of spending too much of your time scrolling (and stressing) about the online world, comparing self-perceived inadequacies to every other narcissistic wannabe celebrity on one’s feed, as opposed to carving out their own place in society. – AB
“Pieces of a Woman”
“Is it possible to survive if you have lost the one you loved the most?” That is the central question filmmaker Kornél Mundruczó wanted to explore in “Pieces of a Woman.” It’s a question that will be very familiar to far too many, possibly more so than ever in a year like 2020. Based on an unfathomably tragic personal experience, the Hungarian director’s first film in the English language follows a midwife (Molly Parker, ‘Deadwood”) charged with criminal negligence charges after a homebirth goes horribly awry. This drastically alters the lives of Martha and Sean (Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf), Martha finding herself overcome by grief and dealing with conflict from all sides. Featuring an outstanding cast (Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, Jimmy Fails, Ellen Burstyn, and Benny Safdie – who will also allegedly appear in Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming San Fernando Valley flick) and a score by the legendary Howard Shore (“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy), Martin Scorsese was so taken with the emotional power of Mundruczó’s film that he’s attached himself as an executive producer, which is a strong indicator that film lovers should keep their eye on it. – AB
“Nomadland”
After helming one of the most moving films of the past decade, “The Rider,” Chloe Zhao was hired to direct Marvel Studios’ upcoming “Eternals.” While we’re incredibly excited to see what she’s able to paint on the big screen canvas using Disney’s pocketbook, Venice will first premiere what may be her last independent feature for the foreseeable future, “Nomadland.” Based on Jessica Bruder’s book of the same name, and starring two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand, Zhao – having grown up in both England and China – has always been drawn to where the blacktop meets the horizon. Her movie follows Fern, a woman whose company folds after being hit by extreme economic hardship. Fern decides to pack her belongings up and try her hand at a lifestyle outside the confines of society. Casting real-life nomads to play some of McDormand’s new mentors, Zhao soaked up all the stories shared by various travelers that came and went throughout filming, incorporating elements of the culture into both the movie and set-life, which sounds quite similar to the intimate approach that lent itself so well to the authentic strength of the performances in her last picture. Everything about “Nomadland” sounds fantastic, so simply can’t wait to check out this rising director’s take on the open road flick. – AB
“One Night In Miami”
In the nightmare year that is 2020, when every day further reveals just how much systemic racism still runs rampant through society, it’s increasingly inspiring to see marginalized artists, like Regina King working their ass off to tell the stories they know need to be told. The Academy Award-winning actress makes her directorial debut with “One Night in Miami,” a fictionalized love letter to the night Cassius Clay/Muhammed Ali (Eli Goree) beat world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston for the title. Based on Kemp Powers’ landmark play, King wanted to explore key Black figures’ lives and relationships as regular people, first and foremost. Hosting a party in honor of Clay’s victory, cultural icons Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), celebrate amongst facing the harsh realities of the time that are a-changin’. Her film obviously couldn’t be timelier, King recently stating “as the recent killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have shown us, our struggle for racial equality is far from over. We need each other more than ever, our voices united as one, impossible to ignore, and loud enough to be finally heard.” Hear hear, Regina! Hear, hear. – AB