Revenge and forgiveness belong to three Mexican boys intent on organizing their retaliation in the film A cielo abierto - Upon Open Sky by directors Mariana Arriaga and Santiago Arriaga presented at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

The popular Japanese writer Murakami Haruki collaborated with the emerging director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi in the film Aku wa sonzai shinai - Evil Does Not Exist, presented at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Is there a communion between the spiritual genre and magical naturalism in the film?

In a small village in a mountainous area of Japan, life proceeds peacefully, outwardly happy, with strong human relationships, sincere friendship, simple gestures, healthy food, very fresh water. Around there is an intense, vigorous nature, snow, trees, streams. Inhabitants and nature coexist peacefully, without attacking each other.

Surrogacy is therefore a clash between poor and rich, between exploited and exploiters, a ruthless class conflict. These arguments are used metaphorically and realistically by director Karan Tejpal in the film Stolen, presented at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, to narrate the civil division of India: “There are two disparate Indias.”

The theme of lockdown during COVID time, combined with private and family motivation, is the background of the film Tora's Husband by director Rima Das, presented at the 15th Bangkok World Film Festival.

In 1942, Japan conquered the Philippines from the Americans. In 1945, they would be kicked out. Due to the geography of the Philippines, many Japanese remained isolated and stuck in the jungle. The order was to join the last military resistance in Cebu. The retreat was a massacre. The Japanese were already undernourished, without rations for a long time.

This episode is filmed by Shinya Tsukamoto in the film Nobi - Fires On the Plain presented at 71 Venice Film Festival.

Flying is a human chimera from epic times starting from the story of Daedalus and Icarus.

Even in Tunisia there is a desire to fly. The country is in full economic and political chaos. To escape, a Tunisian must look at the sea, or look at the sky.

Rafik, the protagonist of the film Oura el jbel - Behind the Mountains by Tunisian director Mohamed Ben Attia reverses the role of the myth of Daedalus and Icarus. Rafik is his father, and he wants to fly beyond the law of gravity, even involving his son, who would instead like to escape.

The film was presented at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, with the co-production of Jean Pierre and Luc Dardenne.

Dialogue with an Alzheimer's patient is possible and inevitable. It is the same lexical difficulty that exists between Izumi and her mother (Yuriko), who suffers from dementia. She wants to see the “half-fireworks”. Izumi does not understand; what could be “half-fireworks”?

Izumi and Yuriko are the protagonists of the moving film A Hundred Flowers – Hyakka by director Genki Kawamura, screened at the Bangkok World Film Festival 2022.

Are cannibals evil? Follows this idea Luca Guadagnino in the film Bonus and All presented at the 79th Venice Film Festival. Luca Guadagnino follows this thought. He believes he is Dante Alighieri when he writes about Ugolino della Gherardesca in the Antenora, the second zone of the ninth circle of Inferno in the Divine Comedy.

In Southeast Asia, galvanized by exponential increases in GDP, a modern, educated, universal and traditional cinema is being produced at the same time. The filmmakers studied, learned their lessons but kept the communication channel open with their country of origin. Making choices, creating their own style, exploiting far-reaching stories, adapting and conveying messages make them even more influential than the decadent West.

Among many examples are Thai Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Filipino Brillante Mendoza.

In Masahista, Brillante Mendoza shocks the audience by telling with sweetness and realism. The protagonist is Iliac, a masseur for men in a brothel on the Manila outskirts. The director's style repeats. Social adaptation, the difficulties of complicated growth are the Iliac's scenario, his sufferings and his family.

How many wars has the United States of America fought, provoked and unleashed?

How many coups did he organize? How many enemies are dead, wounded, mutilated, tortured?

The answer of director Ibrahim Nash'at, in his documentary Hollywoodgate, is certain: it was the ruthless Afghans who attacked the United States. Did American soldiers only defend their homeland by building the first defensive line 11,925 kilometers from home?

Hollywoodgate was presented at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

At the end of the Second World War, the destruction of Japan, after the dropping of the two atomic bombs, had reached its peak. It wasn't just a humanitarian catastrophe. It wasn't just the material devastation of the country.

Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto proposes, with his cruel and exaggerated style, an original vision of the era and above all launches yet another anti-militarist arrow into international cinema.

At the 80th Venice International Film Festival he presented the film Hokage - Shadow of Fire, shocking for the simple representation of a pain that is still present and needs to be processed, even though many years have passed.

The Mongolia of Dschurukuwaa is changing, perhaps slowly but surely. The new Mongolia is narrated with affection and passion by the Mongolian director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir in the film Ser ser salhi – City of Wind – City of the Wind, presented at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

In Turkey, in the 1920s, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, an army officer, unleashed the challenge to the decadent Ottoman Empire from Anatolia. His motivation was no longer religious. His principles were secularism, patriotism, and the Westernisation of society. With his victory, Turkey became a Muslim country with a lay leader. The two factions regularly faced in violent confrontations. A dynamic Muslim opposition opposed the Kemalist republic. There were numerous revolts, such as those of the dervishes and other brotherhoods.

In 1996, this competition was won by the secular. They dominated schools. In educational institutions, young religious people were viewed with repulsion. It is the historical period of the film Yurt – Dormitory by director Nehir Tuna presented at the 80th Venice Film Festival.

Reviews, news and analysis from 80 Venice International Film Festival, Venice, 30.08 - 09.09 2023

A selection of the most important films from the popcinema.org editorial team.

Enclosed garden has a duplicity: clear isolation from the outside and an internal area transformed into a paradise. An island of serenity for its inhabitants is the spectacular simile used by director Paul Schrader in the film Master Gardener presented at the 79th Venice Film Festival.

Teenagers seek refuge in themselves, in solitude, in misogyny, in resignation, in agitation, in not sleeping, in feeling empty. They exclude their family, boycotting the school they thinks are useless.

Adolescence depression is the dramatic argument of the film The Son by director Florian Zeller, presented at the 79th Venice Film Festival.