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San Sebastian Film Festival · 2023

San Sebastian Film Festival 2023

Offical Selection

Programme

21 films · 11 reviews

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All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt

A decades-spanning exploration of a woman’s life in Mississippi and an ode to the generations of people, places, and ineffable moments that shape us.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Raven Jackson; Writer: Raven Jackson; Stars: Charleen McClure, Moses Ingram, Kaylee Nicole Johnson, Reginald Helms Jr., Sheila Atim, Chris Chalk)

The Boy And The Heron

Review preview for The Boy And The Heron

The hand-drawn beauty of the images always connects to ideas, something grander that we have yet to find out about.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
A teenager, haunted by his mother’s tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, who bears a striking resemblance to his mum. His strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who dubs him the “long-awaited one.”

(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Hayao Miyazaki; Writer: Hayao Miyazaki, Genzaburô Yoshino; Stars: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Takuya Kimura, Aimyon, Kô Shibasaki, Yoshino Kimura, Shôhei Hino, Jun Kunimura, Kaoru Kobayashi, Keiko Takeshita, Jun Fubuki, Sawako Agawa, Karen Takizawa, Shinobu Ôtake)

Full review

Out of competition. Opening gala

Dance First

Review preview for Dance First

While offering some notion of Beckett’s feelings towards key people in his life, his works feel very underrepresented.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
Biopic of author and playwright Samuel Beckett.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: James Marsh; Writer: Neil Forsyth; Stars: Gabriel Byrne, Fionn O'Shea, Sandrine Bonnaire, Léonie Lojkine, Aidan Gillen, Bronagh Gallagher, Maxine Peake, Barry O'Connor, Lisa Dwyer Hogg, Caroline Boulton, Rebecka Johnston, Gráinne Good, Caleb Johnston-Miller, Andrew Hefler, Patrik Piró,)

Full review See: Gabriel Byrne, James Marsh, Neil Forsyth and Fion O'Shea on bringing Beckett to the screen

Out of competition. Closing gala

Ex-Husbands (Men Of Divorce)

Review preview for Ex-Husbands

There’s a sweet-hearted but dated dad rock quality to this tale.

Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
Peter’s parents divorced after 65 years, his wife left him after 35, and his sons, Nick and Mickey, are off leading their own lives. When Peter flies to Tulum, crashing Nick's bachelor party hosted by Mickey, he realises he's not the only one in crisis.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Noah Pritzker; Writer: Noah Pritzker; Stars: James Norton, Rosanna Arquette, Griffin Dunne, Natalie Gold, Lou Taylor Pucci, Miles Heizer, Richard Benjamin, John Ventimiglia, Echo Kellum, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Eisa Davis, Rosa Gilmore, Nate Mann, Rachel Zeiger-Haag, Ian Owens)

Full review

Fingernails

Review preview for Fingernails

There’s something inherently endearing about the way that Nikou always managed to conjure timelessness in his worlds. They’re more analogue than futuristic but ultimately hang in a sort of limbo of ‘here but not quite now’.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A woman who is increasingly unsure about her relationship secretly embarks on a new assignment working at a mysterious institute designed to incite and test the presence of romantic love in increasingly desperate couples.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Christos Nikou; Writer: Christos Nikou, Stavros Raptis, Sam Steiner; Stars: Jeremy Allen White, Annie Murphy, Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Luke Wilson, Katy Breier)

Full review See: Truth and nail: Christos Nikou on Fingernails

Great Absence

Actor Takashi has been estranged from his father Yohji, a retired university professor, ever since the tumultuous divorce with his mother ripped the family apart 20 years ago. They remain barely in contact until one day, a call from the police prompts Takashi to visit Yohji, who is struggling with dementia.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Kei Chika-ura; Writer: Kei Chika-ura, Keita Kumano; Stars: Mirai Moriyama, Tatsuya Fuji, Yôko Maki, Hideko Hara)

A Journey In Spring (Chun Xing)

Review preview for A Journey In Spring

A Journey In Spring is one of the most impressive contributions to date in the new Taiwanese cinema.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
An old man has depended on his wife over the years, when she suddenly passes away, he puts her into an old freezer and goes on living a seemingly peaceful life. But the arrival of his son and daughter-in-law brings change.

(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2023; Director: Peng Tzu-Hui, Ping-Wen Wang; Writer: Yu Yi-Hsun; Stars: Kuei-Mei Yang, Jieh-Wen King)

Full review See: Interview with Peng Tzu-hui and Wang Ping-wen about A Journey In Spring

Kalak

Review preview for Kalak

Eklöf also doesn’t deal in absolutes, allowing us to see that Jan is both damaged and damaging, not just to himself but others - a hot mess in a cold climate.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A nurse who was abused by his father finds his trauma is increasingly damaging to himself and those around him.

(Country: Sweden, Denmark, Greenland; Year: 2023; Director: Isabella Eklöf; Writer: Isabella Eklöf, Kim Leine, Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen; Stars: Asta Kamma August, Anders Mossling, Emil Johnsen, Soren Hellerup, Nino Fencker, Allie Maggie Kvist, Hans Jukku Noahsen, Berda Larsen, Nathan Kreutzmann, Bertram Krassel, Connie Kristoffersen, Emilie Steen, Lisbeth Vængtoft Noahsen, Vigga Tukula, Varste Mathæussen)

Full review See: Isabella Eklöf

La Mesías

The viral video of a Christian pop group made up of several sisters has an enormous effect on the life of Enric, a man tormented by a childhood marked by religious fanaticism and the yoke of a mother with messianic delirium.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2023; Director: Javier Calvo; Writer: Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, Carmen Jiménez; Stars: Rossy de Palma, Macarena García, Lola Dueñas, Carla Díaz, Cecilia Roth, Carmen Machi, Ana Rujas, Aixa Villagrán, Nora Navas, Gracia Olayo, Roger Casamajor, Mari Paz Sayago, Betsy Túrnez, Amaia Romero, Biel Rossell)

Out of competition

MMXX

Oana Pfifer, a young therapist, gradually slips into the net of the questionnaire she submits to her patient. Mihai, Oana’s brother, worrying about his birthday, is stuck in a story far bigger than he can handle. Septimiu, Oana’s husband, concerned about his health, vaguely listens to a strange story his colleague was caught up in a while ago. Narcis Patranescu, an organided crime detective, deals with an unsettling dark story while interrogating a young woman at a funeral.

(Country: Romania; Year: 2023; Director: Cristi Puiu; Writer: Cristi Puiu; Stars: Igor Babiac, Dorian Boguta, Laur Bondarenco, Dragos Bucur, Bianca Cuculici, Roxana Ogrendil, Otilia Panaite, Adelaida Perjoiu, Florin Tibre)

The Practice (La Practica)

Review preview for The Practice

While much of the visual humour works perfectly thanks to good timing and framing, some of the running gags seem more suited to a sprint than the marathon Rejtman takes them on.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A yoga teacher finds himself grappling with life and bad luck after his splits from his wife.

(Country: Argentina, Chile, Portugal; Year: 2015; Director: Martin Rejtman; Writer: Martín Rejtman; Stars: Esteban Bigliardi, Mirta Busnelli, Manuela Oyarzún, Camila Hirane, Gabriel Cañas)

Full review

Puan

Marcelo has devoted his life to teaching philosophy at the Public University of Buenos Aires. When his mentor Professor Caselli dies unexpectedly, Marcelo expects to become the new head of Department. However, his plans turn upside down with the unexpected arrival of Rafael Sujarchuk. Charismatic and seductive, Rafael returns from his pedestal in European universities to claim the vacant position for himself. Marcelo's clumsy efforts to prove he is the right candidate will trigger a philosophical duel, while his life - and the country - enter a spiral of chaos.

(Country: Argentina, Italy, Germany, France, Brazil; Year: 2023; Director: María Alché, Benjamín Naishtat; Writer: María Alché, Benjamín Naishtat; Stars: Marcelo Subiotto, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Julieta Zylberberg, Mara Bestelli, Alejandra Flechner, Cristina Banegas, Héctor Bidonde, Damián Dreizik, Andrea Frigerio, Camila Peralta)

A Real Job

Benjamin is a PhD student without scholarship support. Under the pressure of his parents, and in need of money, he becomes a substitute teacher in a middle school.

(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Thomas Lilti; Writer: Thomas Lilti; Stars: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Louise Bourgoin, François Cluzet, Vincent Lacoste, Jérémy Gillet, Bouli Lanners, William Lebghil, Lucie Zhang, Léo Chalié, Théo Navarro-Mussy, Hubert Myon)

Red Island (L'ile Rouge)

Review preview for Red Island

Patriarchal and paternalistic structures at both a family and country level are put in the spotlight.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Set in Madagascar in the early 1970s, on one of the last air bases of the French army, where military families live the last throes of colonialism. Influenced by his reading of the intrepid comic book heroine Fantômette, ten-year-old Thomas sweeps with a curious glance what surrounds him, while the world gradually opens up to a different reality.

(Country: France, Belgium, Madagascar; Year: 2023; Director: Robin Campillo; Writer: Robin Campillo, Gilles Marchand, Jean-Luc Raharimanana; Stars: Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Quim Gutiérrez, Charlie Vauselle, Amely Rakotoarimalala, Hugues Delamarlière, Sophie Guillemin, David Serero, Luna Carpiaux, Mitia Ralaivita, Cathy Pham, Mathis Piberne, Sacha Cosar-Accaoui, Lucille Bernier, Mathilde de Sampaio, Franck Mercadal)

Full review See: Robin Campillo trounces childhood demons and colonisation on an island in the sun

The Royal Hotel

Review preview for The Royal Hotel

The feeling that something bad could happen at any moment permeates the mood.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
US backpackers Hanna and Liv take a job in a remote Australian pub for some extra cash and are confronted with a bunch of unruly locals and a situation that grows rapidly out of their control.

(Country: Australia, UK; Year: 2023; Director: Kitty Green; Writer: Kitty Green, Oscar Redding; Stars: Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Hugo Weaving, James Frecheville, Toby Wallace, Daniel Henshall, Herbert Nordrum, Ursula Yovich)

Full review

The Rye Horn (O Corno)

Illa de Arousa, 1971. Maria is a woman who earns a living harvesting shellfish. She is also known on the island for helping other women in childbirth. After an unexpected event, she is forced to flee and sets out on a dangerous journey that will make her fight for her survival.

(Country: Spain, Portugal, Belgium; Year: 2023; Director: Jaione Camborda; Writer: Jaione Camborda; Stars: Janet Novás, Siobhan Fernandes, Carla Rivas, Daniela Hernán Marchán, María Lado, Julia Gómez, José Navarro, Nuria Lestegás, Darío Fernández Raposo, Diego Anido, Filomena Gigante, Pamela Vidal, Belén Merino, Nuno Preto, Nuno Sá)

A Silence (Un Silence)

Review preview for A Silence

The film hovers in the grey area of Astrid's psyche, with long takes, often focused on Devos' features.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Astrid is the wife of an acclaimed lawyer. Silenced for 25 years, her family balance suddenly collapses when her children initiate their search for justice.

(Country: Belgium, Luxembourg, France; Year: 2023; Director: Joachim Lafosse; Writer: Chloé Duponchelle, Paul Ismael, Joachim Lafosse, Thomas van Zuylen; Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Devos, Salomé Dewaels, Larisa Faber, Denis Simonetta, Elsa Rauchs, Béatrice Paquet, Laurent Bozzi, Matthieu Galoux)

Full review See: Joachim Lafosse on power and shame in A Silence , Emmanuelle Devos on denial and gesture in A Silence

The Successor

Ellias Barnès, 30, is the newly-announced artistic director of a famous Parisian fashion house. But as expectations are high, he starts experiencing chest pain. Out of the blue he is called back to Montreal to organise his estranged father's funeral and discovers that he may have inherited much worse than his father's weak heart.

(Country: Canada, Belgium, France; Year: 2023; Director: Xavier Legrand; Stars: Marc-André Grondin)

Sultana's Dream (El Sueno De La Sultana)

Review preview for Sultana's Dream

Sultana's Dream's dense philosophical backbone proves quite meandering in places but even if not every abstract idea hits the target, the animation is always on point.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Taking her inspiration from a feminist sci-fi short story written in Bengal in 1905, Inés sets out on a voyage of discovery around India in search of Ladyland, the Utopian land of women.

(Country: Germany, Spain; Year: 2023; Director: Isabel Herguera; Writer: Isabel Herguera, Gianmarco Serra; Stars: Mary Beard, Paul B. Preciado, Roberto Bessi, Miren Arrieta, Nausheen Javeed, Ranjitha Rajeevan, Miren Gabilondo, Debjani Mukherjee)

Full review

They Shot The Piano Player

A music journalist from New York sets out on a frantic investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Brazilian pianist Tenorio Jr, regular accompanist of Vinicius de Moraes, among others.

(Country: Spain, France, Netherlands; Year: 2023; Director: Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba; Writer: Fernando Trueba; Stars: Jeff Goldblum, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, João Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes, Paulo Moura)

Special Screening

Un Amor

Having escaped from her stressful life in the city, 30-year-old Nat holes up in the small village of La Escapa, in deepest rural Spain. Having dealt with her landlord’s hostility and the mistrust of the village locals, Nat finds herself accepting a disturbing sexual proposal made by her neighbour Andreas.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2023; Director: Isabel Coixet; Writer: Isabel Coixet, Laura Ferrero, Sara Mesa; Stars: Ingrid García Jonsson, Laia Costa, Hovik Keuchkerian, Hugo Silva, Luis Bermejo, Francesco Carril)