The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Venice Film Festival 2012

Venice Film Festival day 1 reviews: The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Superstar and Izmena

Venice Film Festival day 1 reviews: The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Superstar and Izmena
31 August 2012
Filippo L'Astorina
Avatar
Filippo L'Astorina
31 August 2012

The Venice Film Festival opened with three very interesting features: The Reluctant Fundamentalist from Mira Nair (out of competition), Superstar by Xavier Giannioli and Izmena by Kirill Serebrennikov (both in competition).


The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mira Nair

In Lahore, an American professor is kidnapped by a group of terrorists. Agent Bobby Lincoln (Liv Schreiber), disguised as a journalist, is on the trace of politically involved university teacher Changez (Riz Ahmed), suspected of being the mastermind behind the crime.

Changez studied in the United States and became an extremely successful consultant at a major New York firm. He is respected by his colleagues and bosses, and loved by his girlfriend (Kate Hudson).

The 9/11 attacks cause cracks in his perfect life; suddenly the world he once loved starts to distrust him. Invasive inspections from the police and racist talk at work from his colleagues slowly irritate and lacerate his mind. 

Changez decides to move back to Pakistan when a loved one portrays him as a stereotypical Islamic outsider in her upcoming exhibition. He starts to teach at the university and several fundamentalists approach him to join Jihad.

The movie is a face-to-face dialogue between an American spy and an alleged terrorist set in a troubled Lahore where the US forces are about to respond violently to the kidnap of their citizen.

A very formative story from the talented Indian director Mira Nair.

★★★★★

Superstar by Xavier Giannoli

Martin Kazinski (Kad Merad) is an ordinary man, a nobody. Suddenly one day he gets on the metro and everyone starts to stare at him, to talk about him. The public knows his name, they all want his autograph and to take a picture with him.

Martin is invited to talk shows and offered a reality programme. He is puzzled; he feels totally lost and doesn’t know what to do. Ironically, the man who never had anything doesn’t want fame and money.

He decides to trust and rely on the PA (Cecile De France) employed by the TV producer who is working on his story. However, she abandons him when the public moves from idolising to hating him, when autographs turn into spit, love into violence.

The spectator wants to know why; they need an answer. But the movie is like a pretty box with no key to open it –because there is no content inside.

Clearly an intriguing idea, the film fails to deliver on substance. Worth writing a little bit more before shooting, maybe?

★★★★★

Izmena (Betrayal) by Kirill Serebrennikov

In a movie deprived of any references, where characters do not have a name and the location could be either a city suburb or a small town, every detail of the story adopts an archetypal value. 

She (Franziska Petri) is a doctor, he (Dejan Lilic) is her patient. The two protagonists do not have anything in common until she tells him that her husband has betrayed her with his wife.

It is never clear whether there is a need for revenge or true passion to bind them – Izmena is a tale of betrayal, love, pain and sadness.

Their respective spouses die while having sex in a hotel, there is an investigation and a policewoman suspects them of the crime.

He is a difficult father, detached and not very talkative; he does not know how to explain the death of his wife to his son – trying to avoid questions regarding the circumstances.

This is a complex film, with delicate layers of emotions and a very dry and cold atmosphere. All this is expertly conveyed by stunning cinematography with vivid but chilling colours and shades.

★★★★★

Filippo L’Astorina

Related Itemsreview

More in Venice Film Festival 2012

Spring Breakers: interview with Ashley Benson

The editorial unit
Read More

Venice Film Festival awards: Pieta wins best picture, PT Anderson best direction

The editorial unit
Read More

Venice Film Festival day eight reviews: Spring Breakers and The Company You Keep

Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More

Spring Breakers: interview with James Franco

The editorial unit
Read More

Spring Breakers: interview with Selena Gomez

The editorial unit
Read More

Spring Breakers: interview with Vanessa Hudgens

The editorial unit
Read More

Venice Film Festival: Robert Redford presents The Company You Keep with Shia LaBeouf

Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More

Venice Film Festival day seven reviews: O Gebo e a Sombra, Bella Addormentata and Pieta

Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More

Venice Film Festival day 6 reviews: Outrage Beyond, Linhas de Wellington and Kapringen (A Hijacking)

Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • St Vincent at the Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Railway Children Return
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Netflix Walking Tour: From Bridgerton to The Crown, a free walking tour through the filming locations
    Cinema & Tv
  • The Throne at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “We really wanted to create a cabbage gun”: An interview with David Earl and Chris Hayward stars of Brian and Charles
    Cinema & Tv
  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Viagra Boys – Cave World
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Ithaka
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Viagra Boys – Cave World
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • The Railway Children Return
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Adele lights up Hyde Park for BST Festival
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Zac Efron at the Venice Film Festival presenting At Any Price
Venice Film Festival reveals new talent Maika Monroe