“Harvest”
More than a decade ago, one of the hot regional film movements was the Greek Weird Wave, whose most famous member was Yorgos Lanthimos, who went on to worldwide success. But one of his friends and colleagues during that era was Athina Rachel Tsangari, who made a splash with her second feature, the Venice competition title “Attenberg,” a twisted, oddly touching coming-of-age tale. (Her lead, Ariane Labed, took home the festival’s Best Actress prize.) Sadly, Tsangari has only made one feature since then—the 2015 examination of masculinity, “Chevalier”—but at last, she returns with this adaptation of the Jim Crace novel about a tiny English village that starts experiencing unsettling occurrences. Caleb Landry Jones leads the cast of “Harvest,” which may not be as starry as many of the Venice premieres but could be a creepy stunner.
“I’m Still Here”
Awards season loves a good comeback story. Sony Pictures Classics is certainly positioning Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles as a candidate this year. He earned acclaim in the late 1990s and early 21st century thanks to delicate dramas like “Central Station” and “The Motorcycle Diaries,” but he hasn’t made a feature since 2012’s disappointing “On the Road.” Salles is back with “I’m Still Here,” based on the true story of Eunice Paiva, a housewife who took on the Brazilian military regime in the 1960s after her husband, a congressman, was disappeared. Based on Paiva’s son’s memoir, “I’m Still Here” will star Fernanda Torres, with “Central Station” Oscar nominee Fernanda Montenegro playing Eunice Paiva as an older woman. This has the potential to be the sort of emotional powerhouse that audiences and Academy voters flock to.
“Joker: Folie à Deux”
The original “Joker” started its awards-season campaign at Venice in 2019, taking home the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion, on the way to earning more than a billion dollars worldwide and winning two Oscars, including Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix. Critically, though, the film received a wide range of reviews, with some praising “Joker’s” grownup tone and magnetic central performance while others despised its pseudo-Scorsese nihilism. I was a fan, so I’m intrigued by this much-hyped sequel, which like its predecessor will premiere in competition on the Lido. This time, Phoenix is joined by Lady Gaga, who plays the Joker’s equally troubled love interest Harley Quinn. “Joker: Folie à Deux” will be a musical, so no one can accuse this sequel of lacking in ambition. I’m expecting this follow-up film to be equally divisive—I can’t wait to see where I land.