Emma Stone and George Clooney headlined the Venice Film Festival with 'Bugonia' and 'Jay Kelly'. Photo / Getty Images
An apocalyptic satire starring Emma Stone and a Tinseltown road trip dramedy with George Clooney took the spotlight at the Venice Film Festival.
The unveiling of Bugonia with Stone and Jay Kelly starring Clooney delivered a high dose of Hollywood glitz on the second day of the festival, with fans braving rain while waiting at the red carpet for a glimpse of the stars.
Clooney was reportedly under the weather earlier in the day, missing a press conference, but appeared in a tuxedo with his wife Amal for the premiere of his Netflix-produced film from director Noah Baumbach.
Oscar winner Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos, however, were in fine form as they appeared in front of the media and on the red carpet together, with their latest production earning rave reviews.
The duo, working together for a fifth feature, are hoping to repeat their successful formula from 2023 when Poor Things nabbed Venice’s top Golden Lion prize.
The Greek director told journalists he hoped his Bugonia would “trigger people” to think more about human extinction.
His high-energy film warns of the dangers of conspiracy theories, online echo chambers, the disappearance of bees, and a host of societal ills, including rural poverty and climate change.
Variety called it “riveting”, saying Lanthimos was “at the top of his visionary nihilistic game”, while Time magazine said Stone could “do no wrong”.
The 36-year-old double Oscar winner plays a pharmaceutical executive kidnapped by a marginalised pair of misfits convinced she is destroying the world as an alien.
“Humanity is facing a reckoning,” Lanthimos said. “People need to choose the right path in many ways. Otherwise, I don’t know how much time we have.”
Lanthimos’ trademark absurdist humour is on display, alongside occasional graphic violence, in a work that also turns a sympathetic eye on the kidnappers.
Jesse Plemons, who plays the kidnapping mastermind in the movie, said he had tried to understand conspiracy theorists, who are often self-radicalised online.
“I think there’s a risk in writing them off as being non-human,” he said.
In Jay Kelly, Clooney plays a self-absorbed Hollywood star grappling with a personal crisis over his career choices and parenting decisions.
Adam Sandler plays his hard-pressed manager and Laura Dern his publicist.
The film explores the masks people wear – or try to shed – and the protagonist is seen unravelling as he embarks on a road trip through France and Italy with his overworked entourage.
Baumbach said he had wanted to work with Clooney for years.
“I felt it was really important that the audience watching the movie have a relationship with the actor who’s playing the character,” he said.
Jay Kelly is the first of three Netflix-produced features at the festival, with the US streaming giant keen to find a strong contender for a first Best Picture award at the next Academy Awards.
Initial reviews were not glowing, with The Hollywood Reporter saying it “overloads on saccharine” and was “mid-tier Baumbach at best”.
Having sat out Venice in 2024, Netflix has two other productions at the festival this year: A House of Dynamite, by Oscar-winning thriller specialist Kathryn Bigelow, and a star-studded remake of Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro.
Another hotly awaited film, to be shown on Sunday, is Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin, in which Jude Law portrays Russian President Vladimir Putin during his ascent to power.
Alongside the glitz came protest on the festival’s opening day, with demonstrators near the red carpet unfurling a “Free Palestine” and “Stop the Genocide” banner to denounce Israel’s war in Gaza.
A group of Italian film professionals have also called on festival organisers to openly condemn Israel’s bombardment and siege of Gaza, while a larger protest is scheduled for Saturday.
Among the 21 films in the main competition is a film about Gaza, The Voice of Hind Rajab, by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, which has attracted heavyweight Hollywood attention.
Actors Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, and directors Alfonso Cuaron and Jonathan Glazer, have joined the movie as executive producers, according to film business news outlet Deadline.
Also premiering on Thursday out of competition was Ghost Elephants, the latest documentary from German arthouse giant Werner Herzog, 82, who received a lifetime achievement award during the opening ceremony.
– Agence France-Presse