Disclaimer. Image Courtney of Apple TV+.
2024 brings a new selection of films, including Queer, Babygirl, and The Brutalist, all of which debuted at the 81st Venice Film Festival and are now reaching cinemas. SLEEK attended the screenings to bring you an insider’s perspective on this year’s most daring releases.
As per tradition, the Venetian island of Lido set the stage for the 81st Venice International Film Festival. Despite a lingering late-summer heatwave, the energy remained high as festival-goers eagerly sought out autographs and selfies with celebrities, fully absorbed in the magic of cinema under the scorching Italian sun.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Image Courtesy of 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
The festival opened with Tim Burton’s long-awaited sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, staying true to the dark, comedic world of the 1988 original. Michael Keaton returns as the iconic Betelgeuse, delivering a joyful performance, while Winona Ryder reprises her role as Lydia Deetz, now a famous TV host. Newcomers include Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s rebellious daughter and Willem Dafoe as a ghost detective. Monica Bellucci appears briefly as Betelgeuse’s ex-wife, though her role feels underused– if not reductant to the whole story. Despite its loose storyline, the film remains visually rich, with a memorable “Soul Train” sequence as an interpretation of death and Danny Elfman’s beautifully curated soundtracks.
Nonostante. Image Courtesy of Matteo Graia.
Nonostante
Following Tim Burton’s out-of-competition Beetlejuice sequel, the festival’s Orizzonti Competition opened with Nonostante (Feeling Better), directed by Italy’s well-known and award-winning actor Valerio Mastandrea. Nonostante captures the audience with its refreshing perspective on life – exploring the stages of life and death, or more precisely of living and not living at all. The fantasy movie takes place in an ordinary hospital in Rome with characters that remain relatable throughout the whole movie. It leaves viewers pondering their own feelings about “feeling better,” creating a paradox of emotions. While it echoes elements of Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire, (Himmel über Berlin, 1987) – it evolves beautifully in a completely different direction, questioning one’s own fears about living, loving and being courageous.
Disclaimer. Image Courtesy of Apple TV+.
Disclaimer
The festival continued strong with Disclaimer, a psychological thriller mini-series from Apple TV+ and Alfonso Cuarón’s first TV project. Based on Renée Knight’s novel, it stars Cate Blanchett, Lesley Manville, Kevin Kline, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Consisting of only seven episodes, the series manages to leave the audience divided into two groups, sparking discussions about beliefs and prejudice. It puts a mirror in front of the audience showing how a different story-telling can change the whole truth in which we believe. It also lets us reflect on many aspects of our adult-lives, including our convictions about love, marriage, being a parent – and the list goes on. Strongly recommend this one – and yes, beware of the narrative and form.
Maria. Image Courtesy of Pablo Larra.
Maria
One of the most anticipated films at Venice was Pablo Larraín’s Maria, starring Angelina Jolie as legendary opera singer Maria Callas. The biographical drama focuses on Callas’ final weeks in 1970s Paris, set against the backdrop of warmly lit autumn streets and her opulent apartment. The film’s glamorous costumes, based on Callas’ originals, contrast sharply with her inner turmoil as she longs to return to the stage.
Flashbacks, shown in black and white, explore her love affair with Aristotle Onassis and her difficult past. We see her desperately wanting to be back on the stage and to be adored, while at the same time how she is troubled with her memories. Jolie practiced singing for months, blending her voice with Callas’ recordings. Strong performances from Pierfrancesco Favino as Callas’ butler and Haluk Bilginer as Onassis add to the film’s Oscar buzz.
Babygirl. Image Courtesy of Niko Tavernise.
Babygirl
On the festival’s third day, Babygirl arrived like another kind of heatwave. Directed by Halina Reijn, the film stars Nicole Kidman as a corporate CEO in a BDSM affair with a younger intern (Harris Dickinson), while married to a theater director (Antonio Banderas). Though labeled an “erotic thriller,” the film is more about self-love and sexual liberation. As Reijn explores the question, “Can I love myself with all my layers?”, the story avoids moral judgments, simply following a woman navigating her desires alongside her roles at work and home. Kidman’s vulnerable performance may even earn her Venice’s Best Actor award. Besides its daring, erotic scenes, Babygirl is a follow up of its erotic genre, enriching it with its female gaze and intergenerational dimension.
The Order. Image Courtesy of Michelle Faye.
The Order
On the fourth day, the festival turned more political with The Order, directed by Justin Kurzel. Based on the non-fictional book The Silent Brotherhood, it recounts the 1980s assassination of Jewish radio host Alan Berg by white supremacists. The film resonates with modern issues like the Capitol attack, debates around gun laws, and rising extremism in isolated communities. Jude Law, who also produced the film, stars as troubled FBI agent Terry Husk, delivering a deeply nuanced performance where almost every move is thought through and incredibly well executed. The entire cast shines, and the film’s cinematography with the wide angle shots of the amazing landscape enhance its powerful impact. As it is based on actual events and since it is so well executed, The Order is one of the most relevant movies of this year, most probably going to land several nominations for the Oscars.
The Brutalist. Image Courtesy of A24.
The Brutalist
On the same day, the 3,5 hours long The Brutalist by Bradey Corbet just took over the festival’s spotlight. Critics’ and also my personal favorite of the venetian line up is currently being screened in different international film festivals and it is receiving major acclaim for its perfectly imperfect execution and the cast’s excellent performance. Adrien Brody delivers a standout performance as László Tóth, a fictional Hungarian Holocaust survivor and architect who moves to the U.S. After some difficult years of poverty, an encounter with the wealthy American entrepreneur Harrison Lee Van Burrens (Guy Pearce) changes his life entirely. The wealthy stranger gives László endless support to pursue his passion as an architect and initiates a gigantic project – a church to be built in a brutalist style in monumental dimensions.
His Oscar nomination seems likely, with Brody citing his photographer mother, who fled Hungary in 1956, as his inspiration. The film, shot on film, spans 30 years and follows László’s rise from poverty to working on a monumental brutalist church for a wealthy client, played by Guy Pearce. Although the movie is not based on a true story, the narrative is created by collecting many different real events. Co-written with his wife Mona Fastvold, Corbet’s film is a 7-year labor of love.
The Room Next Door. Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
The Room Next Door
Pedro Almodóvar’s long-awaited first English-language film, The Room Next Door, left critics divided but still won the festival’s Golden Lion. Based on Sigrid Nunez’s novel What Are You Going Through, the film contrasts Almodóvar’s usual vibrant style by focusing on euthanasia against a backdrop of war. Tilda Swinton plays Martha, a former war journalist with terminal cancer, who reconnects with her writer friend Ingrid (Julianne Moore) to plan her death with dignity. While the film showcases high fashion and elegant interiors, its heavy themes of death and war sometimes feel emotionally distant, despite beautiful references to Edward Hopkin and James Joyce that are creating a comeback to the “Almadover’s universe”.
Queer. Image Courtesy of Yannis Drakoulidis.
Queer
Following the close friendship between two women in The Room Next Door, the lineup now turns to a love story between two men in Queer, directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey. This adaptation closely follows William S. Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical eponymous novel, capturing the essence of Burroughs, an icon of the Beat Generation who never saw himself as part of any movement. Guadagnino calls Queer his most personal film, inspired by his own connection to the novel as a lonely 17-year-old in Palermo.
Set in 1940s Mexico City, Queer follows William Lee (Daniel Craig), a drug-addicted American expat who becomes infatuated with Eugene, a younger, former Navy man (Drew Starkey). In the film’s third act, they venture south in search of yagé, a drug rumored to grant telepathic powers.
The film is bold in its intimate scenes, but its real distinctiveness lies in its screenplay. It portrays a man’s love for another man with rare purity and simplicity. Director Luca Guadagnino describes their journey—filled with passion, drug use, and hardship—as captured with “a complete lack of judgment.”
Notably, costume design was led by Jonathan W. Anderson, creative director of the Spanish brand Loewe and his own label, J.W. Anderson. Every piece authentically reflects the period, perfectly complementing the characters without drawing undue attention. Queer has become one of the year’s standout films, highly praised by critics at Venice. A shortened 135-minute version will hit theaters later this year, though the director’s cut reportedly exceeds 180 minutes.