‘Poor Things’ Takes Top Prize at Venice Film Festival

“Poor Issues,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, was awarded the Golden Lion for greatest movie on the eightieth Venice Worldwide Movie Competition on Saturday by a contest jury led by Damien Chazelle. The movie stars Emma Stone in a virtuoso efficiency as a lady with an initially childlike understanding of the world who comes into her personal by means of a sexual and philosophical journey.

Bella Baxter, the principle character within the movie, “wouldn’t exist with out Emma Stone,” Lanthimos stated. “This movie is her, in entrance of and behind the digicam.” Stone beforehand collaborated with Lanthimos on “The Favorite,” which gained the Grand Jury Prize on the competition in 2018.

Like many different actors in movies screened on the competition, Stone was not in attendance, because the strike by SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents tv and film actors, continued.

Set in a partly fantastical Nineteenth-century Europe, “Poor Issues” follows Bella (Stone) on her eye-opening adventures in Tony McNamara’s adaptation of the 1992 Alasdair Grey novel. The movie additionally stars Willem Dafoe as Bella’s father who’s a physician, Ramy Youssef as his assistant and her suitor, and Mark Ruffalo as a lascivious lawyer.

Lanthimos stated that the movie took “fairly a couple of years” to carry into being, earlier than “the world, or our business,” was prepared for its story. The award announcement was met with a roar of applause.

The eightieth version of the competition opened with “Comandante,” a historic drama about an Italian submarine that rescued Belgian sailors throughout World Warfare II. Different distinguished movies included “Maestro,” “Priscilla,” “The Killer,” “Ferrari,” “Hit Man,” “Origin,” “El Conde,” “Aggro Dr1ft,” “Coup de Likelihood,” “Dogman” and William Friedkin’s last movie, “The Caine Mutiny Court docket-Martial.”

The newest version acquired huge acclaim regardless of advance hypothesis that the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes in Hollywood may have an effect on the competition’s influence. Stars have been largely absent. Nonetheless, there have been exceptions, together with Adam Driver and Jessica Chastain, due to interim agreements secured with SAG-AFTRA; each actors expressed assist for the strikes. However the filmmakers didn’t disappoint: Earlier than the awards ceremony, crowds chanted “Yorgos! Yorgos!” when the director walked onto the pink carpet.

The Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize went to “Evil Does Not Exist,” the brand new movie from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose movie “Drive My Automobile” gained an Academy Award. His newest characteristic facilities on a small city in Japan making an attempt to fend off a deliberate glamping web site.

Immigration was a recurring theme among the many prizewinners. The Silver Lion for greatest director went to Matteo Garrone for the immigration drama “Me Captain.” The Particular Jury Prize went to Agnieszka Holland for “Inexperienced Border,” her multifaceted take a look at immigration to Poland.

The Volpi Cup for greatest actress was awarded to Cailee Spaeny, who performed the titular position in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” the story of Priscilla Presley’s relationship with Elvis Presley. The very best actor award went to Peter Sarsgaard for his position as a person with dementia who’s accused of previous abuse in Michel Franco’s “Reminiscence.” In his acceptance speech, Sarsgaard spoke movingly towards the specter of synthetic intelligence. Seydou Sarr gained the Marcello Mastroianni Award, given to an excellent rising actor, for “Me Captain.”

The very best screenplay honor was given to “El Conde,” a vampiric reimagining of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator, written by Guillermo Calderón and Pablo Larraín, who additionally directed. “Love Is a Gun,” directed by Lee Hong-Chi, acquired the Lion of the Future award for greatest debut characteristic. “Thank You Very A lot,” a playful take a look at Andy Kaufman, gained the Venice Classics award for greatest documentary on cinema.

For the Orizzonti part, one other competitors slate within the competition, the highest prize went to “Rationalization for All the things,” an expansive work from the Hungarian director Gabor Reisz. “El Paraiso,” a mother-son drama, additionally gained two awards on this part: Margarita Rosa de Francisco gained for greatest actress, and Enrico Maria Artale gained for greatest screenplay. Notably, a Mongolian movie, “Metropolis of Wind,” was honored for greatest actor (Tergel Daring-Erdene).

This yr’s Golden Lions for lifetime achievement went to Tony Leung Chiu-wai, a star of Hong Kong cinema, and to the director Liliana Cavani, whose movie “The Order of Time” performed out of competitors. The Glory to the Filmmaker Award went to Wes Anderson, whose brief movie “The Fantastic Story of Henry Sugar” performed out of competitors.