Since the Mostra’s selection has been released at the official press conference in July, this particular screening has been marked in all my agendas with a big exclamation mark. All possible reminders have been set and friends have been instructed to aim first at the tickets for this specific film, preferably at the Sala Grande. Four computers have been mobilized to try and enter the vivaticket booking system on time to reach the target.
This seems to be the right moment to have a loving thought for my booking buddy, Evghenka, and to express my eternal gratitude for helping me out fulfilling one of my dreams: attending a Jim Jarmusch film projection with Jim Jarmusch in the room.
This also seems to be the right moment to have a loving thought for my mom who dragged me to see “Dead Man” when I was a 15 year old grumpy teenager and who forever changed my perspective on cinema (it was definitely not only my papa’s deed).
As it is repeatedly recited in the already mentioned “Dead Man”: “Some are born to endless nights, some are born to sweet delights” (or the other way around, I don’t exactly remember). Well, yesterday, we all agreed that we were definitely more on the sweet delights side of things. If I have to be honest, I would say that I was even on the total euphoria side of things (and this stayed as is before, during and after the screening).
Prior to the screening, my movie buddies seemed pretty excited as well, but mostly due to Cate Blanchett’s presence on the red carpet. Hence we all got our childish/back to adolescence groupie moment – them with Cate, me with Jim. Everyone happy.
Now, “what about the movie?” will you ask. Well, would I have been selected as a jury member, I would tell you that I have found my 2025 Golden Lion. Looking at the previous jury decisions, I however doubt it will be the case: it is a too discrete, too delicate and too apolitical movie to attract the attention of jury members. But what a delight it still was.
As Jarmusch has already done several times, it is a movie divided in three parts, each of them giving us a short insight into different family relationships (one in the USA, one in Ireland and one in France). It is a movie made of hints. Characters are caught at a particular moment (without any information given on the wider context) and the spectator is granted only a few clues (short sentences, looks, silences) to put together the puzzle of these (sometimes extremely tensed or weird) relationships. It is funny, it is chilling, it is moving. And it is supported by great actors (Adam Driver, Cate Blanchett, Tom Waits, Charlotte Rampling – you basically name them) with all of them performing at the same level of excellency. I do however have a personal soft spot for Tom waits’ eccentric father character, which is absolutely delicious.
Conclusion: it was worth coming to Venice just for that one!
Allow me to end this one with a special pic because aaaaaaaaaaaaah I saw Jiiiiiim Jaaaaaarmusch!!! :)))
Klara's cinema 