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Venice Film Festival · 2023

Venice Film Festival 2023

Orizzonti

Programme

18 films · 6 reviews

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Behind The Moutains (Oura El Jbel)

After spending four years in jail, Rafik has only one plan, to take his son behind the mountains and show him his amazing discovery.

(Country: Tunisia, Belgium, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar; Year: 2023; Director: Mohamed Ben Attia; Writer: Mohamed Ben Attia; Stars: Majd Mastoura, Walid Bouchhioua, Samer Bisharat, Selma Zghidi, Helmi Dridi, Wissem Belgharak, Ayoub Hedhili, Mondher Chouchen, Amel Karray, Ammar Chikha, Rania Agrebi, Mahmoud Said, Walid Bel Haj Ammar, Jasser Oueslati, Yosra Rebai)

A Cielo Abierto

Two brothers go looking for the man who caused their father's death.

(Country: Spain, Mexico; Year: 2023; Director: Mariana Arriaga, Santiago Arriage; Stars: Julio Cesar Cedillo, Cecilia Suárez, Manolo Cardona, Sergio Mayer Mori, Julio Bracho, Máximo Hollander, Federica Garcia, Theo Goldin)

City Of Wind (Ser Ser Salhi)

Review preview for City Of Wind

Purev-Ochir gives a sense of the pressures the younger generation are under through their experience in the classroom, with a tacit implication that Ze’s struggles are reflecting a spirit of a nation.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A teenage shaman finds his life shifting after he meets a girl.

(Country: Qatar, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Mongolia, France; Year: 2023; Director: Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir; Writer: Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir; Stars: Tergel Bold-Erdene, Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba, Bulgan Chuluunbat, Ganzorig Tsetsgee, Tsend-Ayush Nyamsuren)

Full review See: Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir on her debut feature City Of Wind

Dormitory (Yurt)

A boy finds things tough after he is sent to an all-boys religious school.

(Country: Turkey; Director: Nehir Tuna; Writer: Nehir Tuna; Stars: Doga Karakas, Can Bartu Aslan, Ozan Çelik, Tansu Biçer, Didem Ellialti, Orhan Güner, Isilti Su Alyanak, Fatih Berk Sahin, Ozan Bilen, Emrullah Erbay, Nazli Benan Özkaya, Erdi Kökerer, Miraç Kaya, Ercan Erdil, Tolga T. Talay)

El Paraíso

Drama about the relationship between a woman and her 40-year-old son.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2023; Director: Enrico Maria Artale; Writer: Enrico Maria Artale; Stars: Margarita Rosa de Francisco, Edoardo Pesce, Maria del Rosario, Gabriel Montesi, Matea Milinkovic)

Explanation For Everything (Magyarazat Mindendre)

A high school student's graduation exams spark scandal.

(Country: Hungary, Slovakia; Year: 2023; Director: Gábor Reisz; Writer: Gábor Reisz, Éva Schulze; Stars: Adonyi-Walsh Gáspár, István Znamenák, András Rusznák, Rebeka Hatházi, Krisztina Urbanovits, Eliza Sodró, Lilla Kizlinger, Dániel Király, Gergely Kocsis, Tamás Fodor, Péter Tarján, Zsuzanna Szager, Péter Szeiler, Tóth Péter, Tünde Bacskó)

The Featherweight

A retired boxer plots a return to the ring.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Robert Kolodny; Writer: Steve Loff; Stars: Stephen Lang, Ron Livingston, Keir Gilchrist, Frank John Hughes, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., James Madio, Michael Siberry, Louis Vanaria, Jeremy Luke, Patrick Murney, Shari Albert, Jay Giannone, Gino Cafarelli, David Gere, Shefik)

For Night Will Come (En Attendant La Nuit)

Review preview for For Night Will Come

Philémon is a very sympathetic character, and Hammond brings a real sense of vulnerability to the role.

James Gracey · 4 out of 5
The day they move into a new neighbourhood, the Feral family plans to look as normal and friendly as possible. But their son, Philemon, is no ordinary teenager. When he gets closer to his new neighbor, Camila, his thirst for blood grows and his difference becomes impossible to hide…

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2023; Director: Céline Rouzet; Writer: William Martin, Céline Rouzet; Stars: Mathias Legout Hammond, Élodie Bouchez, Jean-Charles Clichet, Céleste Brunnquell, Laly Mercier, Anne Benoît, Louis Peres, Angèle Metzger, Bakary Diombera, Véronique Frumy, Valérie Lemaitre)

Full review

Gasoline Rainbow

Review preview for Gasoline Rainbow

Whatever structuring the directors are doing is achieved with the lightest of touches, so that we feel as though we’re just along for the ride with these guys.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A group of teenagers go on a road trip.

(Country: US; Year: 2013; Director: Bill Ross, Turner Ross; Writer: Davey Ramsey, Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross; Stars: Tony Acierto, Micah Bunch, Nicole Duke, Nathaly Garcia, Makai Garza)

Full review

Heartless (Sem Coracao)

A teenager finds herself experiencing an increasing attraction for a girl nicknamed 'Heartless'.

(Country: France, Brazil; Year: 2023; Director: Nara Normande, Tião; Stars: Maeve Jinkings, Erom Cordeiro, Lucas da Silva, Eduarda Samara, Ian Boechat, Kaique Brito, Maya de Vicq, Alaylson Emanuel, Elany Santos)

Hesitation Wound

Review preview for Hesitation Wound

Hesitation Wound is a melancholy piece of cinema but such an accomplished one that it is a delight to watch.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A criminal lawyer faces difficult moral and emotional choices.

(Country: Turkey, France, Romania, Spain; Year: 2023; Director: Selman Nacar; Writer: Selman Nacar; Stars: Tülin Özen, Görkem Ipek)

Full review

Housekeeping For Beginners (Domakinstvo za Pocetnici)

Review preview for Housekeeping For Beginners

For all the apparent chaos, this is a tightly controlled piece of work which fully delivers on the promise of Stolevski’s earlier films.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A lesbian suddenly finds herself responsible for her partner’s two daughters.

(Country: North Macedonia, Sweden, Kosovo, Poland, Serbia, Croatia; Year: 2023; Director: Goran Stolevski; Writer: Goran Stolevski; Stars: Rozafa Celaj, Sara Klimoska, Anamaria Marinca, Mia Mustafi, Aleksandra Pesevska, Samson Selim, Alina Serban, Vladimir Tintor, Ajse Useini)

Full review

Invelle

(Country: Italy, Switzerland; Year: 2023; Director: Simone Massi; Writer: Simone Massi; Stars: Filippo Timi)

Paradise Is Burning (Paradiset brinner)

Review preview for Paradise Is Burning

With a background in documentary, director Mika Gustafson captures something that, though not always coherent, feels fresh and raw and real.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Three sisters try to cope in the absence of parents, afraid that social services will split them up if they find out about their situation.

(Country: Italy, Finland, Sweden, Denmark; Year: 2023; Director: Mika Gustafson; Writer: Mika Gustafson, Alexander Öhrstrand; Stars: Bianca Delbravo, Marta Oldenburg, Dilvin Asaad, Mitja Siren, Safira Mossberg, Ida Engvoll)

Full review See: Interview with Mika Gustafson and Alexander Öhrstrand about Paradise Is Burning

The Red Suitcase

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(Country: Nepal, Sri Lanka; Year: 2023; Director: Fidel Devkota; Stars: Bipin Karki, Saugat Malla, Prabin Khatiwada, Shristhi Shrestha)

Shadow Of Fire (Hokage)

(Country: Japan; Director: Shin'ya Tsukamoto; Writer: Shin'ya Tsukamoto; Stars: Mirai Moriyama, Tatsushi Ômori, Shuri, Hiroki Kono, Gô Rijû, Ouga Tsukao)

Tatami

An Iranian judo player is on the path to success at a championship with the Islamic Republic tells her to fake an injury leaving her faced with an impossible choice.

(Country: Georgia, US; Year: 2023; Director: Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Guy Nattiv; Writer: Elham Erfani, Guy Nattiv; Stars: Jaime Ray Newman, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Nadine Marshall, Arienne Mandi, Ash Goldeh, Sina Parvaneh, Mehdi Bajestani, Lir Katz, Elham Erfani)

Una Sterminata Domenica

(Country: Ireland, Italy, Germany; Year: 2023; Director: Alain Parroni; Stars: Lars Rudolph, Zackari Delmas, Federico Valentini, Enrico Baccetti)