Here are a few of the films that we've been anticipating at this year's Biennale.
A RABBIT’S FOOT has just touched down in Venice for the 80th International Venice Film Festival! We’ll be celebrating our upcoming fall issue with reviews straight from the fest, as well as news and updates from the competition. As the festival kicks off today and masses of film fans flood the Biennale, we’re thinking of the movies that have been setting tongues on fire across the waterways, and what we’re most anticipating here at A RABBIT’S FOOT.
Sofia Coppola’s PRISCILLA is the big question mark of the festival, with Jacob Elordi taking up the Elvis mantle only a year after Austin Butler captured hearts with his Oscar-winning portrayal of the Rock & Roll great in Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS. News that the Presley estate has barred Coppola from using Elvis’ music in the movie will either bust pipes or make a diamond, and we’re holding hope out that it will be the latter, especially considering that Priscilla Presley herself has come out in support of Coppola’s interpretation of her life-story.
The other musical biopic on everyone’s lips is MAESTRO, Bradley Cooper’s take on the Leanord Bernstein story, and the anticipated follow-up to his directorial debut A STAR IS BORN. Some say the Sophomore feature is the true tell of an auteur’s longevity, and Cooper seems determined to live up to, and perhaps surpass, his debut.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi is submitting EVIL DOES NOT EXIST to the in-competition this year, only a few years after his three-hour epic DRIVE MY CAR became the surprise hit of ‘22 awards season, earning him an Academy Award win for Best International Film, while David Fincher is returning to his gritty thriller roots with THE KILLER, which stars Michael Fassbender as a hit-man who goes rogue after a fateful near-miss. It’s an evergreen movie premise if there ever was one, though there’s no doubt Fincher will twist the story in ways only he can.
Elsewhere at the Biennale, the likes of Richard Linklater, Yorgos Lanthimos and Shinya Tsukamoto are all gearing up for the premieres of their latest features (HIT MAN, POOR THINGS and SHADOW OF FIRE, respectively), while the festival is also treating fans to classic film screenings, most notable THE EXORCIST, likely a tribute to the great filmmaker William Friedkin’s passing, and Shinji Somai’s underrated MOVING, which features a final act that, trust me, should be seen on the big screen.
Stay tuned over the next week as we bring you reviews for all the above and more updates on what’s going on at the Biennale. In the meantime, check out the full lineup here.
