Venice Film Festival 2017 Scorecard

The Shape of Water took home the Golden Lion, and Foxtrot was awarded Jury Prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Read on to see every movie that played in Italy over the last week and got enough reviews for a Tomatometer! —Alex Vo

#21
#21
Adjusted Score: 100125%
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.... [More]
Starring: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Elvis Costello, Richard Dawkins, Patti Smith
Directed By: Frederick Wiseman

#20

Foxtrot (2017)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#20
Adjusted Score: 101310%
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... [More]
Starring: Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Gefen Barkai, Dekel Adin
Directed By: Samuel Maoz

#19

The Insult (2017)
Tomatometer icon 86%

#19
Adjusted Score: 91836%
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... [More]
Starring: Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha, Camille Salameh, Diamand Bou Abboud
Directed By: Ziad Doueiri

#18

Sweet Country (2017)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#18
Adjusted Score: 100363%
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 goes on the run after he kills a white man in self-defense.... [More]
Starring: Bryan Brown, Matt Day, Tremayne Doolan, Anni Finsterer
Directed By: Warwick Thornton

#17
#17
Adjusted Score: 94835%
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... [More]
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Marc Blucas
Directed By: S. Craig Zahler

#16

The Shape of Water (2017)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#16
Adjusted Score: 118345%
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... [More]
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer
Directed By: Guillermo del Toro

#15
#15
Adjusted Score: 113222%
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... [More]
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Lucas Hedges
Directed By: Martin McDonagh

#14

First Reformed (2017)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#14
Adjusted Score: 108028%
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... [More]
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Philip Ettinger, Cedric the Entertainer
Directed By: Paul Schrader

#13

Lean on Pete (2017)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#13
Adjusted Score: 100198%
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... [More]
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Zahn, Justin Rain
Directed By: Andrew Haigh

#12

Zama (2017)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#12
Adjusted Score: 101836%
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... [More]
Starring: Daniel Giménez Cacho, Lola Dueñas, Matheus Nachtergaele, Juan Minujín
Directed By: Lucrecia Martel

#11

Human Flow (2017)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#11
Adjusted Score: 96895%
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... [More]
Starring: Ai Weiwei, Peter Bouckaert, Orlando Avis, Israa Abboud
Directed By: Ai Weiwei

#10

West of Sunshine (2017)
Tomatometer icon 79%

#10
Adjusted Score: 79120%
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... [More]
Starring: Damian Hill, Ty Perham, Arthur Angel, Kat Stewart
Directed By: Jason Raftopoulos

#9

Our Souls at Night (2017)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#9
Adjusted Score: 92593%
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... [More]
Starring: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern, Judy Greer
Directed By: Ritesh Batra

#8

mother! (2017)
Tomatometer icon 68%

#8
Adjusted Score: 89159%
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.... [More]
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

#7

Downsizing (2017)
Tomatometer icon 47%

#7
Adjusted Score: 63683%
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... [More]
Starring: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Kristen Wiig, Hong Chau
Directed By: Alexander Payne

#6

Victoria & Abdul (2017)
Tomatometer icon 65%

#6
Adjusted Score: 75551%
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... [More]
Starring: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams
Directed By: Stephen Frears

#5

Manhunt (2017)
Tomatometer icon 69%

#5
Adjusted Score: 69709%
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... [More]
Starring: Hanyu Zhang, Masaharu Fukuyama, Stephy Qi, Ha Ji-won
Directed By: John Woo

#4

The Leisure Seeker (2017)
Tomatometer icon 38%

#4
Adjusted Score: 43481%
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... [More]
Starring: Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Christian McKay, Kirsty Mitchell
Directed By: Paolo Virzì

#3

Suburbicon (2017)
Tomatometer icon 27%

#3
Adjusted Score: 41028%
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... [More]
Starring: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac, Glenn Fleshler
Directed By: George Clooney

#2

An Imperfect Murder (2017)
Tomatometer icon 40%

#2
Adjusted Score: 11787%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An actress's nightmare about killing her abusive ex-boyfriend manifests itself in reality.... [More]
Starring: Sienna Miller, Alec Baldwin, Charles Grodin, Colleen Camp
Directed By: James Toback

#1

Loving Pablo (2017)
Tomatometer icon 33%

#1
Adjusted Score: 34711%
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... [More]
Starring: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Julieth Restrepo
Directed By: Fernando León de Aranoa

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