Klara's cinema

When this year’s Cannes official selection came out, I have to admit that, as a Venitian aficionado, I got slightly worried. With Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Andrey Zvyagintsev opting for Cannes instead of Venice, where we usually (very happily) see them, I could not help but selfishly ask myself: damn, what will be left for us?!

I wouldn’t say that my worries vanished, but at least they got quite toned down, when the Mostra press conference took place around mid-July: Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges”, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri”, “The Banshees of Inisherin”) did not join the dark side of the force and will be presenting his new movie here tonight (let’s face it, my joy is immense!). And, if we allow ourselves to be slight bitchy, Nanni Moretti took the other side of the road and will be making his return at Venice after many many many years of Cannes attendance.

Add to it Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog, Florian Zeller, Hirokazu Koreeda and Danny Boyle (among others)… and the potential for a good year at Venice seems to be there. Of course, names do not make good movies, but I am fairly optimistic for the 2026 edition.

We will know in 10 days if I at least agree with myself on this optimistic prognosis.

Yesterday was the opening night. George got his Golden Lion for a Lifetime Achievement and had a surprisingly inspired speech about how unsmart it is from all of us to bet (as we currently seem to be doing worldwide) on fear from difference and from diverging opinions. We already tried that in the past and should remember where it got us. Not in the greatest place, I would say.

The Opening Ceremony was followed by the screening of Danny Boyle’s (“Trainspotting”, “Slumdog Millionaire”) new picture, “Ink”. “Ink” tells the story of the rise of “The Sun” as Britain’s most successful tabloid in the seventies. In the same spirit as the opening speeches, it is a deep dive into the human nature and what sells (usually not the most intellectually challenging stories). It is also a very catchy and well rythmed film about how far you are willing to sell your soul, your empathy and your humanity to make profit. Yet again, a pretty actual topic, I would say.

Jack O’Connell does a great job as Larry Lamb, “The Sun’s” editor who was the one behind the newspaper’s dramatic increase in sale in the seventies. The movie is entertaining and well filmed (à la Danny Boyle, of course, expect loads of noise and images).

The only debatable thing about it that kept on coming to my mind while watching it was the way it presents Rupert Murdoch. And, to be honest, I do not have sufficient expertise to know if it is really problematic or not. But as my alarm bell kept on ringing, let me put the question out there without answering it: was really Larry Lamb the only one systematically crossing the line and Rupert Murdoch the one disapproving or at least having second (ethical) thoughts? Is the movie too kind/cautious on Rupert Murdoch because he is still alive and powerful? Is that right?

Other than that, the film was a pretty good watch and puts one apple into my optimistic prediction basket for the 2026 Mostra. Let’s see what today brings…