The Venice Film Festival opens with a ceremony that signals a new era for the event. The film titled Commander steps into the spotlight as the centerpiece, while prizes are awarded to the individuals who were initially chosen to benefit from this privilege. Rivals, a tennis-world comedy featuring Zendaya and directed by Luca Guadagnino, adds a touches of humor to the lineup. Because of the American actors’ strike, the film’s participation shifted away from a game show framework and its theatrical release has been postponed for several months.
Even when one might be tempted to read a singular outcome from these shifts, predicting the consequences for artistic quality remains uncertain. The festival has endured changes, yet one fact stands firm: the opening has become more locally focused. Rather than centering on a globally famous star, the spotlight now rests on a promising film. The emphasis stays rooted in Italian culture, balancing a proud, assertive national identity with a sense of modern vitality that can occasionally feel provocative.
Venice honors Liliana Cavani, a candid director of Night Porter
Law of the Sea and the Mussolini era
That sentiment mirrors the director’s stance in conversation with the press this morning. When the story of Commander’s titular figure reached him, he said, if being Italian means embracing that archetype, he is proud to claim it. The narrative touches on Salvatore Todaro and recounts an October 1940 mission where a Cappellini submarine crew faced a Belgian ship that had attacked them. In a move that weighs human instinct against rigid ideology, Todaro gave priority to saving survivors by allowing them to board the submarine.
The film’s central claim is not simply to depict the historical figure’s greatness but to present him as a person forged by extraordinary dedication. The portrayal hints at a messianic dimension, suggesting almost superhuman resolve in the pursuit of mission success.
Striving for anti-war sentiment
De Angelis and co-writer Sandro Veronesi, with the project partly based on their own novel, aim to reconstruct the past while commenting on the present. On one level, they honor leaders with a distinctly national lens and frame the urgency of sea-law principles that rescue lives, even amid conflict. On another, they explore the possibility of common ground between soldiers on opposing sides, incorporating references to Russian and Ukrainian combatants to underscore shared humanity.
Both intentions carry noble aims, yet they face tension during the filming of a two-hour epic. The work seeks to merge anti-war sentiment with a visual poetry that sometimes privileges beauty and martial artistry over a fully examined ideology. The narrative avoids presenting a detailed ideological map, which would invite controversy, and some critics argue that the portrayal could be read as a celebration of Italian character and strength, even as it leans into technology, music, and culinary culture as defining Italian traits. The story of a Duce-like figure, interwoven with modern sensibilities, remains a provocative thread in the film’s tapestry.
Pro-strike apparel at the festival
The head of the jury, the filmmaker tasked with awarding the Golden Lion this year, took a visible stand in support of the ongoing strikes by screenwriters and actors. At the press conference he wore a T-shirt and a badge reading The Screenwriters Union is on strike. The director of Whiplash and La La Land emphasized the current state of American cinema, noting that today marks a significant period since both writers and actors initiated action. He argued that art possesses intrinsic value independent of the specific content created during labor disputes, a point he feels has become increasingly eroded in Hollywood over the past decade.