We arrived on a speedboat in Lido, Venice in time for the 80th Venice Film Festival. First order of the day was to catch our very own, Sam Manacsa’s Cross My Heart and Hope to Die, competing at the Orizzonti – Concorso Corti.
The PalaBiennale was full, packed with people eagerly awaiting this year’s selection of short films. Cross My Heart was up against Sea Salt by Leila Basma, Bogota Story by Esteban Pedraza, The Meatseller by Margherita Giusti, Duan pian gushi (Short Story), Area Boy by Iggy London, and If the Sun Drowned Into an Ocean of Clouds by Wissam Charaf.
The 18-minute film about disgruntled employees not receiving their salaries on time stars Jorrybell Agoto, Ann Janielle Candelaria, Vincent Pajara, Rexon Anyayahan, and Carla Zarcal
The lack of empathy is seen even in cinematographer Martika Escobar’s wide shot lockdown camera as Mila (Jorrybell Agoto) tries to suffocate herself in the opening scene.
We saw a group of supportive Filipinos inside the theater, led by the consul general of the Republic of the Philippines in Milan Elmer G. Cato, Vice Consul Pete De La Fuente of the Philippine Embassy in Myanmar, and leaders of the Filipino community in Italy. Among their goals was to raise awareness and promote international cinema.
We were also among the first spectators to experience the period race film, Ferrari directed by Michael Mann. Based on the book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races by Brock Yates, the film stars Adam Driver as car maker Enzo, who leads and forces a team of drivers to win the Mille Miglia race. If a Maserati or Ferrari wins, there would be a big jump of automotive sales, which Enzo desperately needs for his soon-to-be bankrupt company.
Sometimes the quest to win and the ambition to beat rivals leads to death, but Enzo tells his drivers that in racing, “It’s our deadly passion, our terrible joy.”
Penélope Cruz stars as Enzo’s wife Laura, a shrewd business partner. Both Laura and Enzo are separately grieving for the loss of their son. Most of the time, they are on the warpath. The marriage is obviously on the rocks and the warmth they once felt to war each other is dwindling away.
Enzo’s second son Pierro with his mistress played by Shailene Woodley is a well-kept secret until Laura discovers Enzo’s extra marital affair. Will Pierro have the Ferrari family name?
A must-see in the Venezia 80 Competition is Denmark’s Bastarden (The Promised Land), starring Mads Mikkelsen and set in 1755.
Is life a chaos for Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) as he endeavors on a new “career” path as a farmer? Keen on developing the King’s uninhabitable land, he hopes to bring in more people and to open a settlement.
The abusive ruler Frederik de Schinkel wants all the land under his name. Ludvig fights back through the help of the people he cares for. But there is no food, no wages, and no farm workers to ease his burdens. He orders potatoes from Germany to plant in his heath, by hook or by crook. Will Frederik stay in the farm or change his mind?
Power and greed play very well in Frederik’s life that all of his actions have consequences. Ludvig’s friends have left him one by one. The 127-minute film engages one to think and empathize with the captain. In the end, will their captain win all his battles?
The movie is quite heavy to watch as it evokes emotions of surrender, weakness, and emotional pain. The 80th Venice Film Festival ends on Sept. 9.