Venice 2020: the 10 best films at the festival, from Chloé Zhao’s Golden Lion winner Nomadland to Vanessa Kirby’s star turn in Pieces of a Woman
- Unlike 2019’s divisive winner Joker, Nomadland was rapturously received by the critics and the jury, led by Cate Blanchett
- Vanessa Kirby is sensational in Pieces of a Woman; Listen is probably the best British film this year; while Nowhere Special is truly heartbreaking
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Being the first physical film festival to take place since the Covid-19 pandemic, all eyes were on this year’s event in Venice.
Huge credit is due to artistic director Alberto Barbera and his team, for they pulled it off. Temperature checks, mandatory mask-wearing, socially distanced screenings, even a big wall blocking off the red carpet to stop crowds gathering – everything possible was done to keep festivalgoers safe.
While there were fewer films and A-list stars than usual, the festival still had a surprising amount to offer, with the sidebar sections – Venice Days, Horizons and so on – filled with unexpected treats.
Here are our picks for the 10 best films that played in this year’s festival:
Nomadland
Unlike 2019’s divisive winner Joker , this was rapturously received by the critics and the Cate Blanchett-led jury. Frances McDormand sinks into her role as a widowed van-dweller who travels the great American landscape, presumably heading in the direction of next year’s Oscars.
Listen
Portuguese first-time director Ana Rocha de Sousa had a pretty good Venice, winning two prizes, including the “Lion of the Future” Luigi De Laurentiis Award for best debut film.
A minimalist London-set drama, Listen follows a couple (Lúcia Moniz, Ruben Garcia) fighting social services in its attempt to take away their three children – one of them deaf – in what’s called “forced adoption”.
Recalling Ken Loach’s great Ladybird, Ladybird, it’s probably the best British film this year.
Nowhere Special
Loosely based on a true story, this tale of a single parent dying of cancer who must seek out a foster family for his four-year-old son is so heartbreaking it was almost unbearable to watch.
James Norton (McMafia, Happy Valley) shines as the well-meaning Northern Irish father who struggles with the single biggest decision of his life. Director Uberto Pasolini, meanwhile, crafts a stripped-back naturalistic drama, eliciting a miraculous performance from Norton’s young co-star, Daniel Lamont.
Pieces of a Woman
The moment Pieces of a Woman tore across the screen, it was clear that Vanessa Kirby was the red hot favourite for Best Actress, and the jury did not disappoint.
The British actress, who also starred in rival competition entry The World to Come, is sensational as a woman who loses her baby due to complications soon after giving birth. It’s a fearless performance in a film full of them (Ellen Burstyn, Shia LaBeouf), ably orchestrated by White God director Kornel Mundruczo.
Mandibules
French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux (Rubber, Deerskin) brings his offbeat sensibilities to this hilarious tale of two losers (Gregoire Ludig, David Marsais) who discover a giant fly in the rear of a car, and decide to nurture it in the hope of making a fast buck.
An almost unrecognisable Adèle Exarchopoulos excels as a brain-damaged loudmouth they meet on their travels in what feels like a Gallic answer to Dumb and Dumber. It’s full of surreal surprises and, best of all, it’s only 77 minutes long.
Khorshid (Sun Children)
Veteran Iranian director Majid Majidi managed to conjure both a stirring social document and a thrilling tale of treasure-seeking in this Oliver Twist-like story about a group of young urchins on the streets of Tehran who are lured into digging underneath their school to retrieve something of value.
The magnetic Roohollah Zamani, who plays lead boy Ali, won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor for his sublime turn.
The Furnace
Films like The Proposition, Sweet Country and Higher Ground have reframed the Australian Western over the years, and Roderick MacKay’s debut commendably continues this trait.
Set in the late 1800s, when thousands of Islamic, Sikh and Hindu cameleers provided a transport network across the harsh Outback terrain, this yarn about the unlikely bond between Afghan cameleer Hanif (Ahmed Malek) and white bushman Mal (David Wenham) has a Treasure of the Sierra Madre vibe about it. Compelling.
The Best is Yet to Come
It’s an ode to print media, courageous investigative reporting, following your dreams and remaining loyal to those closest to you.
The Duke
A real tonic in these troubled times, Roger Michell’s finely crafted The Duke tells the true story of Kempton Bunton, a 1960s family man from the British city of Newcastle who steals a famous Goya painting from London’s National Gallery, the only theft the venerable institution has ever suffered.
Jim Broadbent doesn’t put a foot wrong as Bunton – it’s a role he feels born to play – while Helen Mirren de-glams convincingly as his long-suffering wife. Michell, meanwhile, tips his hat to the Ealing comedies of old.
Night in Paradise
In a good year for Asian titles – austere Japanese World War II drama Wife of a Spy took Best Director for veteran Kiyoshi Kurosawa – there was nothing quite as thrilling as South Korean title Night in Paradise.
Written and directed by Park Hoon-jung, who previously scripted the excellent I Saw the Devil, this sharp-suited gangster flick stars Eom Tae-goo in a full-blooded revenge tale following the killing of his sister and niece. Filled with extravagant set pieces and shoot-outs, it’ll sate any genre hound.
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