Priscilla, Poor creatures! and the other films at the Venice Film Festival aiming for the Oscar

At the Venice Film Festival 2023 perhaps the twists of the stars of the previous edition were missing – the red dress with the open back of Timothée Chalamet, Harry Styles who perhaps spits on Chris Pine – but he still hit the mark. This is thanks to a series of films that surprised, intrigued and amazed the cosmopolitan audience of the Lido. Who was a hit and who was a flop this year? Let’s take a look.

Perhaps the most unexpected surprise in Venice this year was that of Poor creatures!the epic tale of Yorgos Lanthimos about coming of age starring someone who has perhaps never been so good Emma Stone. Before the strike, Searchlight’s film was scheduled for release in mid-September, a date often seen as the kiss of death for a difficult film expected to attract fall attention. But then Poor creatures! it was moved to December and was able to be enthusiastically welcomed in Venice. This makes the film a new candidate for the awards, perhaps, as already mentioned, completely unexpected. We imagine that some of the film’s technical qualities – the elegant stylistic signature, the enchantingly original costumes – will be important, but Stone and Lanthimos will undoubtedly be too. It’s clear that the two made some sort of creative pact during the making of The favourite (2018) and they leveraged that relationship, that deep mutual professional understanding, to create something rather magical in Poor creatures! The decidedly bizarre and sexually charged film may not appeal to all Academy members, but its unique craft could stand out in a year characterized by plenty of serious dramas and mainstream biographies.

The biggest business card in Venice, at least in the days preceding the festival, was perhaps the biopic of Bradley Cooper on Leonard Bernstein, Master. However, calling the film mainstream is a bit unfair. Cooper strives to break, or reinvent, the biopic form, telling primarily a conflicted love story rather than retracing the stages of Bernstein’s career. The results are mixed: Cooper and his co-star Carey Mulligan they are exceptional, but the film as a whole, although beautiful to look at, leaves something to be desired. Venice’s response to the film was polite, not negative but certainly not enthusiastic. This could hurt the Netflix film’s momentum, or it could mean nothing when the film re-shows at the New York Film Festival next month, in Bernstein’s old stomping ground, Lincoln Center. Although Venice’s reaction suggests that the Master may not garner much success, it seems almost a given that Cooper and Mulligan are destined to receive many awards. Neither is destined to win, not with such a crowded field in the protagonist categories. But if U.S. audiences respond to the film’s loving and admirably complicated iconography, Cooper and Mulligan could find themselves leading the pack once festival season ends.

Just two years ago Elvisthe sumptuous expertise of Baz Luhrmann on the legacy of Elvis Presleywhich made the rounds Cannes and garnered a bunch of Oscar nominations, another side of the story is told by a decidedly different director. Priscillaby the famous childhood chronicler Sophia Coppola, is a fascinating work, both incisive and incisive. It was enthusiastically received in Venice, where critics (like myself) appreciated the sober reading of A24’s film about a teenager’s journey to and out of the heart of fame. Cailee Spaeny And Jacob Elordi they are wonderful as Priscilla Presley and her famous husband, carefully calibrating subtlety and precision in the context of the great caricature. I don’t know if they, young stars on the rise, are bright enough to deserve the attention of the major awards. However, Coppola’s thoughtful handling certainly does. Priscilla it may be his first serious attempt at winning an award in years, though of course part of what makes Coppola strong is that his films seem made precisely without this cynical ambition in mind. Anyway, Priscilla it’s worthy of recognition, a decidedly feminine and feminist counterpart to Elvis’s rocking flavour.

Ferrari Of Michael Mann, the beloved director’s first film in eight years, received good acclaim at the Venice Film Festival, but its future prospects are uncertain. The film Neon isn’t a sleek marvel like some of Mann’s past work; it’s more thoughtful and sad. It’s not even as exciting a racing film as the sensational Le Mans ’66 – The great challenge, approved by the Academy. Maybe the muscles and tendons of Ferrari will be appreciated by voters, or perhaps they will find it too sparse, too dark. (The film is about the terrible cost of ambition, not its wonderful rewards.) If nothing else, the stars Adam Driver And Penélope Cruz they deserve to be taken into consideration, for having immersed themselves in complicated characters with bravado and charisma. The Academy has never been very generous with Mann’s work, but perhaps this serious and often shocking true story could change the game.