Month: August 2025

Mostra 2025 – Day 4 “Frankenstein” (Guillermo Del Toro)

This one is an interesting case study on how depending on the watcher’s mindset, his/her perception of a movie can vary dramatically. For the context: Guillermo Del Toro won the Golden Lion with “The Shape of Water” in 2017. Another monster story. Back then, I was very much in disagreement with the jury’s choice, although, if I remember well, I did express some appreciation of the movie’s visual quality.

The same visual quality appreciation can be granted to “Frankenstein”, that, we all agreed on. But what each of us took away from the movie as a main impression is very different. I believe that somehow, we all have a point. And if you put all these points together, you end up with a pretty good overall assessment of the picture:

Point 1: what is the added value of another “Frankenstein” adaptation? Especially as this must have been a very costly one – expensive actors (such as Oscar Isaac), impressive visual effects that must have taken loads of working hours on top notch machines, a lengthy movie (2.5 hours)… How many other movies, including first projects by young directors, could have been funded from that huge amount? That is why spectator 1 came out sad and disheartened by this quite obvious money making machine. As a big lover of independent cinema, I cannot disagree with her.

Point 2: my spectator 2 is one who likes when stories are well thought through and make perfect sense up to the smallest detail. Spectator 2 could not help but notice some inconsistencies that made her disconnect from the story. Some concerns were also raised about the need for so many not so pleasant visual details (especially when Frankenstein is assembling his creature by putting together – and cutting and sawing – pieces of dead bodies). Here again, I cannot disagree with these comments.

Spectator 3 had only one main regret (and again, I agree that it is perfectly valid). The fact that Guillermo Del Toro could not help but repeat the pattern of “The Shape of Water” with a monster/human belle love story component that, let’s face it, was a bit cheesy.

And what about my spectator self? Well, to my defence, I would never have gone to watch this picture in standard Brussels circumstances. It is not the kind of movies I am generally attracted to and, as spectator 1, I do have a philosophical problem with these massive productions. But this is also why, as it is unusual for me, I have a tendency to approach them with a kind of curiosity/innocence. Hence my spectator self got swallowed by the visual (and also musical) beauty of the picture – amazing soundtrack, I have to say. I am not sure that I could give you a proper summary of the film’s plot as I approached it as one would approach a painting: absorbing the colours, the decor, the costumes and just enjoying the beauty of what I was seeing. Given the millions that were invested in order to make this film a visual delight, I did enjoy every single second of its aesthetic. Nothing less, nothing more.

Mostra 2025 – Day 3: papa’s final swim into the Venetian laguna and “After the Hunt” (Luca Guadagnino)

This will be short.

Day 2 ended not only with a very bad movie but also with a Venetian shower of the utmost intensity. The entire crowd exiting the Palabiennale got soaked from head to toe (including us). Even umbrellas could not save us, the shower was too strong. A vaporetto full of dripping people with no remains of a hairdo left on their head departed from the Lido back to town. Seen from the outside, it must have been quite a view.

Day 3 however greeted us with the most beautiful sun and blue sky, which was quite a relief, as dispersing papa’s ashes during a Venitian (almost) hurricane did not seem like the most pleasant perspective. Indeed, everyone had warned me: beware of the wind.

I won’t dwell into the details, but we had a beautiful moment surrounded by friends (including the Venetian ones who joined us by surprise) and by the water and the city that we all love(d) so much. Papa is now where he asked to be, I can almost see him floating in the sea with a contented smile on his face singing Matuška’s “plavu si, ani nevim jak, vzdyt nemam prsa, nemam znak, maaaaam jen hlavu plnou ideaaaaalu”. It was a sad but very happy and comforting moment at the same time. 

After this, I knew that unless we attend the screening of a masterpiece, it would be hard for me to focus on the evening movie. Sadly, Guadagnino did not produce such a masterpiece (not that I expected it from him, but I still had a little bit of hope… you really never know). Julia Roberts does not do such a bad job in her role as a Yale university professor. I thought it was actually a quite good job. The problem is more on the screenplay (overfilled with words, not well constructed, slow and ultimately just bluntly boring) and the soundtrack (extremely loud and agressive).

Guadagnino could however not spoil the sense of peace and achievement that accompanied me along the whole day. 

We did it! Papa is back in Venice!

In memory of my papa, Jan (18/08/1947-30/11/2024)







Mostra 2025 – Day 2: “Bugonia” (Yorgos Lanthimos) and “Jay Kelly” (Noah Baumbach)

This was a much awaited day that started well: in the morning we got the final authorization to spread my papa’s ashes at the San Michele cemetery. A Venetian acquaintance told me that this was quite an achievement in itself: it seems that the Venetian municipality is a demanding one in that sense. I have to say that the amount of papers I had to provide and the amount of administrative bodies I have been in touch with in the past months has indeed been impressive. But I have as well been in contact with many civil servants that spent a lot of time explaining the process to me and supporting me through it with great patience and empathy. So, on my side, quite a positive experience.

It seems that, following this key milestone, Venice decided to mourn my papa with us – a rainy day it was, with quite a massive thunderstorm at night. I love Venetian Summer thunderstorm, they tend to be quite dramatic.

We arrived at the Palabiennale first screening under the rain. I was looking forward to that one. My relationship to Yorgos Lanthimos is an ambivalent one: it started with very big scepticism and switched to surprised appreciation when “Poor Things” was screened here two years ago. It actually won the Mostra back then. It also won me over, without me being really able to explain why.

I needed two years to process “Poor Things” and therefore skipped Lanthimos’ last year “Kind of Kindness” – this guy is quite prolific. Maybe a bit too prolific.

So, let’s talk about “Bugonia”. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemmons  again. Both at the peak of their art. A young American (Jesse Plemmons), wounded by his childhood, his mom’s addictions and tragic destiny and obsessed with conspiracy theories. Convinced also that a successful CEO (Emma Stone) is an alien and that aliens have invaded the earth in order to destroy it as well as all the humans on it. The CEO’s kidnapping is therefore organized in order to try and put pressure on the alien invaders. Nothing however works out as planned. 

One should not share more about the plot (with many surprising twists) in order not to spoil it for you. But I can at least personally say that I very much enjoyed this one, though some of us were more sceptical than others. Coming myself from the sceptical side, I can fully understand how it can be difficult for a rational/down to earth person to surrender to Lanthimos’ madness. Totally mad he indeed is. But his madness is smart, powerful and very often hiding a strong message.

In this case, at the end of the screening, I could not help but thinking how we, humans, are wreckless destroyers and how we are all actively working together on killing all the beauty of the world for the sake of our own instant satisfaction. And I’m pretty sure that that’s exactly what Lanthimos wanted me to think. Brilliant.

Now regarding movie 2 (“Jay Kelly”). Remember how I was telling you yesterday about my strongly active 2025 “no bullshit” filter? Well this one was put to the test quite intensely yesterday. All the alarms in my head started ringing pretty soon into the screening. By minute 30, I was repeatingly saying to my movie buddy: “this is bad… this is pretty bad”. By minute 40, I had switched to “this is terrible… quite extremely terrible”. 

Remember also how I told you about Tony Servillo’s face saying it all without saying anything? Well. Throughout the entire Baumbach movie, George Clooney’s face (and, trust me, there’s an immense amount of it) says absolutely nothing. 

And remember how I was telling you that the dialogues were great in the Sorrentino movie? Well the Baumbach movie has definitely won the price of the stupidest sentence of the festival. I quote: “do you know how I knew you did not want to spend time with me? Because you did not spend any time with me”. I’m not kidding.

Conclusion: a movie about nothing with bad acting.

Mostra Day 1: “La Grazia” (Paolo Sorrentino)

To be perfectly honest, I was afraid of this one as an opening movie for several reasons: 

a) the simple one: I did not like many of Sorrentino’s movies that I have seen. And to be even more perfectly honest, when “Partenope”’s (his latest film) trailer caught me in the Brussels cinema, it made me want to run in the opposite direction. To the point that I refused to see the movie (don’t take me wrong, maybe it’s great and only the trailer is a big mistake – at least in my humble opinion – … however it is not really what the reviews I have read about it said). Anyhow, reason A, big doubt about Sorrentino. 

Reason B is a bit of a more complex (and personal) one. It’s the context around which we attend this year’s Mostra, which made (and still makes) me fear that my tolerance levels for a potentially pretentious and/or too aesthetically focused movie are pretty low. And let’s face it, in my understanding of things, Sorrentino does have a tendency to both: pretentiousness and aesthetics. 

Tomorrow we will be spreading my papa’s ashes into the Venetian laguna. Hence I really am not in the mood for bullshit. This year, I just want emotions, sensitivity, truth, humour and heartwarming/moving moments. 

(I take this opportunity for a little spoiler alert: I might therefore be blunter than ever in my opinions, exactly for this reason).

So how did Sorrentino survive my 2025 “no bullshit” filter? Well, believe it or not, surprisingly well! I had loads of fun!

Of course the movie is too long, but this is a trend for Sorrentino. And this is also a trend in this year’s Mostra, where barely no movie of the official selection lasts for less than two hours. With 20mins less, I would have absolutely fallen for it.

BUT (and there are many BUTs that play in its favour) 1) it’s extremely funny 2) the dialogues are absolutely great and 3) Tony Servillo. 

Tony Servillo plays an Italian president, very well respected by the population, a man of law and a strong believer facing the last weeks of his presidential mandate. Facing as well his ultimate (and extremely key) presidential decisions: signing (or not) the law on euthanasia and potentially pardoning two murderers. These choices to make and the upcoming end of his career trigger in him quite some thinking – about his recently passed wife and the lover (whose identity is still unknown) she once had 40 years ago, about “who owns our days” and generally about what is right.

This sounds quite serious, I know. But add to it a sudden presidential passion for an italian rap song (encompassing many inappropriate words that Tony Servillo enjoys reciting loudly in the presidential palace). Add to it his daughter who puts him on a quinoa and fish diet that makes Coco, the president’s quite exuberant oldest friend, tell him that “he is not having a dinner but an hypothesis”. Add to it many other such unexpected twists and an absolutely fantastic Tony Servillo, whose face says it all without saying anything. And you actually end up spending a really nice evening.

Conclusion: a really enjoyable opening of the 2025 Mostra!