The Brutalist, Wolfs, Maria, and more score buzz & standing Os out of Venice and Telluride film festivals

Last Updated on October 1, 2024

As the 51st Telluride Film Festival winds down and the 81st Venice Film Festival kicks off, both have been – as expected – host to a number of highly anticipated films, a good chunk of which have been met with praise. We already covered the raves for Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night out of Telluride that could thrust it into awards contention, but what else has blown audiences away on the festival circuit over the weekend? Let’s take a look!

The Venice Film Festival is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious festivals out there, so it’s no surprise that some serious Oscar contenders have already had their debuts. With Maria, Angelina Jolie is now an odds-on favorite for at least a nomination, starring as famed soprano Maria Callas. After an eight-minute standing ovation, we can already see her taking home the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. Tabloid gossip was part of Venice this year as well, as Brad Pitt – Jolie’s ex – also had a movie out: Wolfs, reuniting him onscreen with George Clooney for the first time in years. By most accounts, it’s their chemistry that serves as the backbone and helps propel it ahead of its release later this month.

But in the time it would take you to see both of those movies, you could have pretty much watch the entirety of The Brutalist, which stars Adrien Brody as a Holocaust survivor who emigrates to the United States. Reactions out of the Venice Film Festival are hailing it as a masterpiece, with some even comparing its epic scope to The Godfather and There Will Be Blood. That alone generates the sort of hype it needs and could position as a favorite for the most coveted award at the fest, the Golden Lion.

And of course the States has seen its share of well-received films right out of Telluride, Colorado. One that has gotten a lot of attention is Better Man, a musical biopic not of Eddie Vedder but Robbie Williams – and he’s played by a CG monkey! (Hey, it makes as much sense as Pharrell’s story – also debuting at Telluride – being told in Lego form.) Sean Baker’s Anora was also screened, although its debut came at the Cannes Film Festival, where it took home the Palme d’Or, the first American film to do so since The Tree of Life. We also can’t neglect to mention Memoir of a Snail (from Mary and Max’s Adam Elliot), RaMell Ross’ Nickel Boys and Andrea Arnold’s Bird.

Now, this is barely even scratching the surface of all that has screened at both the Venice and Telluride film festivals. But with awards season officially launched, reception at both – and all of the fests that will follow, chiefly TIFF – is always something to keep an eye on.

What are your most anticipated films out of Venice and Telluride this year? Give us your picks in the comments section below!