Venice Film Festival 2023 Movie Scorecard

Critics Consensus: Wildly imaginative and exhilaratingly over the top, Poor Things is a bizarre, brilliant tour de force for director Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone.

Synopsis: From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Christopher Abbott

Directed By: Yorgos Lanthimos

Critics Consensus: A deceptively dark thriller that's also loaded with laughs, Hit Man is an outstanding showcase for leading man Glen Powell -- and one of the most purely entertaining films of Richard Linklater's career.

Synopsis: Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater's sunlit neo-noir stars Glen Powell as strait-laced professor Gary Johnson, who moonlights as a fake hit man for the New Orleans... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta

Directed By: Richard Linklater

Critics Consensus: An exposé on the Taliban that can only show what documentarian Ibrahim Nash'at was allowed, Hollywoodgate provides an incomplete but vital glimpse into Afghanistan's new status quo.

Synopsis: Immediately after the US withdraws from Afghanistan, the Taliban occupied the "Hollywood Gate" complex, claimed to be a former CIA base in Kabul. The Taliban... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Ibrahim Nash'at

Critics Consensus: Finding treasure in others' trash, Hoard is a beautifully acted and sweetly humanist debut for writer-director Luna Carmoon.

Synopsis: Seven-year-old Maria and her mother live in their own loving world built on sorting through bins and collecting shiny rubbish. One night, their world falls... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joseph Quinn, Samantha Spiro, Hayley Squires, Cathy Tyson

Directed By: Luna Carmoon

Critics Consensus: An affectionate documentary packed with revealing archival material, Thank You Very Much doesn't decode the legendary Andy Kaufman's mystique but will make audiences feel just a little bit closer to him.

Synopsis: A look at the all-too-short life and career of enigmatic comedy legend Andy Kaufman, including never-before-seen footage and intimate interviews with friends, colleagues and family... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Andy Kaufman

Directed By: Alex Braverman

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In HESITATION WOUND Canan (Tülin Özen), a criminal lawyer who divides her time between the courthouse and her mother's hospital bed at night, has to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tülin Özen, Ogulcan Arman Uslu, Gulcin Kultur Sahin, Vedat Erincin

Directed By: Selman Nacar

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: It's summer in Budapest, high school student Abel is struggling to focus on his final exams, whilst coming to the realization that he is hopelessly... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Adonyi-Walsh Gáspár, István Znamenák, András Rusznák, Rebeka Hatházi

Directed By: Gábor Reisz

Critics Consensus: With The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Wes Anderson returns to the world of Roald Dahl -- and proves his distinctive style is a comfortable fit for one of the author's sweetest stories.

Synopsis: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: A rich man learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes. He sets out to master... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel

Directed By: Wes Anderson

Critics Consensus: With Cailee Spaeny's performance in the title role leading the way, Priscilla sees Sofia Coppola taking a tender yet clear-eyed look at the often toxic blend created by mixing first love and fame.

Synopsis: When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Dagmara Domińczyk, Raine Monroe Boland

Directed By: Sofia Coppola

Critics Consensus: Evil Does Not Exist stands on the battle lines between modern civilization and the natural world, offering a perspective that's as quietly measured as it is entrancing.

Synopsis: In the rural alpine hamlet of Mizubiki, not far from Tokyo, Takumi and his daughter, Hana, lead a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani

Directed By: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Critics Consensus: Led by a pair of powerful performances, Maestro serves as a stirring overview of a tremendous talent's life and legacy.

Synopsis: Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke

Directed By: Bradley Cooper

Critics Consensus: The final film from a master of the medium, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial serves as a gripping reminder that a single setting, a solid cast, and some sharply written dialogue is sometimes all you need.

Synopsis: At the start of a naval court-martial, Barney Greenwald (Jason Clarke), a skeptical naval lawyer, reluctantly agrees to defend Lt. Steve Maryk (Jake Lacy), a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, Jake Lacy, Monica Raymund

Directed By: William Friedkin

Critics Consensus: Woody Allen's 50th film, Coup de Chance adds yet another creative rebound to the writer-director's oeuvre with a charming thriller that makes up in wit what it lacks in surprises.

Synopsis: COUP DE CHANCE is about the important role chance and luck play in our lives. Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud) look like... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lou de Laâge, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Schneider, Valérie Lemercier

Directed By: Woody Allen

Critics Consensus: A darkly delirious satire rooted in real-life horror, El Conde finds Pablo Larraín revisiting familiar themes without losing their provocative power.

Synopsis: El Conde is a dark comedy/horror that imagines a parallel universe inspired by the recent history of Chile. The film portrays Augusto Pinochet, a symbol... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jaime Vadell, Gloria Münchmeyer, Alfredo Castro, Paula Luchsinger

Directed By: Pablo Larraín

Critics Consensus: A moving drama that's unafraid to ask big questions, Origin honors its source material with powerful performances in service of a deeply emotional story.

Synopsis: While grappling with tremendous personal tragedy, Isabel sets herself on a path of global investigation and discovery. Despite the colossal scope of her project, she... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash, Vera Farmiga

Directed By: Ava DuVernay

Critics Consensus: Unwieldy but rewarding, The Beast uses its sci-fi conceit to explore intriguing themes in largely satisfying fashion.

Synopsis: The year is 2044: artificial intelligence controls all facets of a stoic society as humans routinely "erase" their feelings. Hoping to eliminate pain caused by... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Léa Seydoux, George MacKay, Guslagie Malanda, Dasha Nekrasova

Directed By: Bertrand Bonello

Critics Consensus: The Killer finds director David Fincher on firm footing with a stylish and engaging thriller that proves a perfect match for leading man Michael Fassbender.

Synopsis: After a fateful near-miss an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Tilda Swinton

Directed By: David Fincher

Critics Consensus: Mads Mikkelson leads us through the savage terrain of The Promised Land with a glimmer of hope in this epic Nordic tale with Western bones.

Synopsis: In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) -- a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero -- sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Gustav Lindh, Melina Hagberg

Directed By: Nikolaj Arcel

Critics Consensus: Sleek and well-acted, Ferrari overcomes its occasionally underpowered narrative to deliver a rousing and admirably complex biopic.

Synopsis: Ferrari is set during the summer of 1957. Behind the spectacle and danger of 1950's Formula 1, ex-racer, Enzo Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon

Directed By: Michael Mann

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Simon, a well-known French filmmaker, starts shooting his next film. A story about workers fighting to protect their factory from being relocated. But nothing goes... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Denis Podalydès, Jonathan Cohen, Stefan Crepon, Souheila Yacoub

Directed By: Cédric Kahn

Critics Consensus: Well-written and classically constructed, In the Land of Saints and Sinners is one of the better action thrillers Liam Neeson's made in recent years.

Synopsis: Ireland, 1970s. Eager to leave his dark past behind, Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) leads a quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, far... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon, Jack Gleeson, Sarah Greene

Directed By: Robert Lorenz

Critics Consensus: While Besson, Landry Jones, and a pack of mutts lend DogMan their roaring souls, this entry offers ample creative risks and kibbled returns.

Synopsis: As a child, Douglas was abused by a violent father who then threw him to the dogs. Instead of attacking him, the dogs protected him.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Caleb Landry Jones, Marisa Berenson, Jonica T. Gibbs, Christopher Denham

Directed By: Luc Besson

Critics Consensus: Aggro Dr1ft's innovative and eye-catching visuals are largely undermined by a frequently inscrutable story that aims for provocation but too often frustrates and annoys.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Harmony Korine uses infrared photography in a dreamlike portrait of a tormented assassin.

Starring: Joshua Tilley, Devon James, Jordi Mollà, Travis Scott

Directed By: Harmony Korine

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A commander of an Italian submarine sinks a Belgian ship and puts his men lives at risk to save twenty-six men left adrift in the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Massimiliano Rossi, Pierfrancesco Favino, Silvia D'Amico, Giuseppe Brunetti

Directed By: Edoardo De Angelis

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: New Year's Eve 1999, a luxurious Swiss hotel where the lives of hotel workers and various guests get intertwined.

Starring: Oliver Masucci, Fanny Ardant, John Cleese, Bronwyn James

Directed By: Roman Polański, Roman Polanski