Venice Film Festival 2017 Scorecard

Critics Consensus: Ex Libris: The New York Public Library adds another remarkable chapter to documentarian Frederick Wiseman's career-long quest for observational excellence.

Synopsis: Filmmakers delve into the New York Public Library, discovering a world of devoted bibliophiles and beneficiaries across 92 branches.

Starring: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Elvis Costello, Richard Dawkins, Patti Smith

Directed By: Frederick Wiseman

Critics Consensus: Foxtrot uses topical themes to deliver a bruising sociopolitical statement that's equally effective taken simply as an absorbing, well-acted drama.

Synopsis: A knock on the door leads to unfathomable grief as a man and his wife learn that their son died in the line of duty... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Gefen Barkai, Dekel Adin

Directed By: Samuel Maoz

Critics Consensus: The Insult uses its familiar courtroom drama framework to deliver a hard-hitting statement on modern Middle Eastern politics that's as gripping as it is thought-provoking.

Synopsis: A minor incident between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee turns into an explosive trial that ends up dividing the two communities.

Starring: Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha, Camille Salameh, Diamand Bou Abboud

Directed By: Ziad Doueiri

Critics Consensus: Sweet Country makes brilliant use of the Australian outback as the setting for a hard-hitting story that satisfies as a character study as well as a sociopolitical statement.

Synopsis: An Aboriginal man from the Northern Territory goes on the run after he kills a white man in self-defence in the 1920s.

Starring: Bryan Brown, Matt Day, Tremayne Doolan, Anni Finsterer

Directed By: Warwick Thornton

Critics Consensus: Brawl in Cell Block 99 rides a committed Vince Vaughn performance into the brutally violent -- and undeniably entertaining -- depths of prison-set grindhouse genre fare.

Synopsis: A former boxer loses his job as an auto mechanic, and his troubled marriage is about to expire. At this crossroads in his life, he... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Marc Blucas

Directed By: S. Craig Zahler

Critics Consensus: The Shape of Water finds Guillermo del Toro at his visually distinctive best -- and matched by an emotionally absorbing story brought to life by a stellar Sally Hawkins performance.

Synopsis: Elisa is a mute, isolated woman who works as a cleaning lady in a hidden, high-security government laboratory in 1962 Baltimore. Her life changes forever... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer

Directed By: Guillermo del Toro

Critics Consensus: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri deftly balances black comedy against searing drama -- and draws unforgettable performances from its veteran cast along the way.

Synopsis: After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Lucas Hedges

Directed By: Martin McDonagh

Critics Consensus: Brought to life by delicate work from writer-director Paul Schrader and elevated by a standout performance by Ethan Hawke, First Reformed takes a sensitive and suspenseful look at weighty themes.

Synopsis: The pastor of a small church in upstate New York spirals out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist and his... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Philip Ettinger, Cedric the Entertainer

Directed By: Paul Schrader

Critics Consensus: Lean on Pete avoids mawkish melodrama, offering an empathetic yet clear-eyed portrayal of a young man at a crossroads that confirms Charley Plummer as a major talent.

Synopsis: Charley, a teen living with his single father, finds work caring for an aging racehorse named Lean on Pete. When he learns Pete is bound... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Charlie Plummer, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Zahn, Justin Rain

Directed By: Andrew Haigh

Critics Consensus: Zama offers a series of scathingly insightful observations about colonialism and class dynamics -- and satisfyingly ends a long wait between projects from writer-director Lucrecia Martel.

Synopsis: Zama, an officer of the Spanish Crown born in South America, waits for a letter from the King granting him a transfer from the town... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Giménez Cacho, Lola Dueñas, Matheus Nachtergaele, Juan Minujín

Directed By: Lucrecia Martel

Critics Consensus: Epic in scope yet clear-eyed and intimate, Human Flow offers a singularly expansive -- and sobering -- perspective on the global refugee crisis.

Synopsis: More than 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine, climate change and war, the greatest displacement since... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ai Weiwei, Peter Bouckaert, Orlando Avis, Israa Abboud

Directed By: Ai Weiwei

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A father has less than one day left to come good on a debt to a dangerous loan shark, while at the same time taking... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Damian Hill, Ty Perham, Arthur Angel, Kat Stewart

Directed By: Jason Raftopoulos

Critics Consensus: Our Souls at Night honors the quiet strength of its source material by offering a simple yet sturdy canvas for two talented veteran leads to bring its story to life.

Synopsis: Addie Moore and Louis Waters, a widow and widower, have lived next door to each other for years. When Addie tries to make a connection... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern, Judy Greer

Directed By: Ritesh Batra

Critics Consensus: There's no denying that mother! is the thought-provoking product of a singularly ambitious artistic vision, though it may be too unwieldy for mainstream tastes.

Synopsis: A young woman spends her days renovating the Victorian mansion that she lives in with her husband in the countryside. When a stranger knocks on... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer

Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

Critics Consensus: Downsizing assembles a talented cast in pursuit of some truly interesting ideas -- which may be enough for some audiences to forgive the final product's frustrating shortcomings.

Synopsis: Mild-mannered therapist Paul Safranek and his wife, Audrey, decide to undergo a process in which scientists shrink people down to miniature size to live in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Kristen Wiig, Hong Chau

Directed By: Alexander Payne

Critics Consensus: Victoria & Abdul reunites Dame Judi Dench with the role of Queen Victoria -- which is all this period drama needs to overcome its imbalanced narrative.

Synopsis: Abdul Karim arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The young clerk is surprised to find favor with the queen herself. As... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams

Directed By: Stephen Frears

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: After he is framed for a vile crime, a Chinese pharmaceutical lawyer teams up with a Japanese detective to stop a dangerous plot.

Starring: Hanyu Zhang, Masaharu Fukuyama, Stephy Qi, Ha Ji-won

Directed By: John Woo

Critics Consensus: The Leisure Seeker certainly doesn't suffer from any shortage of acting talent, but it's largely squandered on a predictable, diffuse drama with little to say.

Synopsis: Traveling in their family Leisure Seeker vintage recreational vehicle, John and Ella Spencer take one last road trip from Boston to the Hemingway House in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Christian McKay, Kirsty Mitchell

Directed By: Paolo Virzì

Critics Consensus: A disappointing misfire for director George Clooney, Suburbicon attempts to juggle social satire, racial commentary, and murder mystery -- and ends up making a mess of all three.

Synopsis: Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic, suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns -- the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac, Glenn Fleshler

Directed By: George Clooney

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: An actress's nightmare about killing her abusive ex-boyfriend manifests itself in reality.

Starring: Sienna Miller, Alec Baldwin, Charles Grodin, Colleen Camp

Directed By: James Toback

Critics Consensus: Loving Pablo bungles its seemingly cinematic real-life story -- and a pair of talented stars -- in producing a lurid biopic that adds nothing to the Escobar subgenre.

Synopsis: In the early 1980s, Colombian journalist Virginia Vallejo begins a tumultuous love affair with Pablo Escobar -- the world's most feared drug lord.

Starring: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Julieth Restrepo

Directed By: Fernando León de Aranoa