Sometimes life suddenly takes off. And the human being, so fragile, can only run after it to reach it. Or at least don’t lose sight of it until it slows down again. Even Enzo Ferrari, so used to dizzying speeds, was overtaken by what happened to him in 1957. The company of his dreams was threatened with bankruptcy. His marriage has broken down. His new romance, uncertain. And the absence of his son Dino, a grief that is too new and unacceptable. Too many problems for one summer and one man. But a real opportunity for a film. “So Ferrari” by Michael Mann, presented this Thursday in competition at the Venice Film Festival, recounts the most turbulent months of the founder of the famous automobile brand. And his bet, all or nothing, to take back the reins of his existence. Although the film revealed a much more drowned engine than expected. Exactly the opposite of the other feature in the competition: Few believed in Dogman by Luc Besson. After the demonstration there were probably a few more.
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A priori, Ferrari had all the prerequisites to become an unstoppable car. Even heading into awards season. The return of the filmmaker who mastered the rhythm of Heat, the atmosphere of Collateral or the dialogue of Insider. Two stars like Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz. An Italian myth, but also a global one. Adrenaline racing. And an exciting personal story. “Greed, loss, passion, ambition,” as Mann himself listed this Thursday to journalists in Venice.
Adam Driver, in a still from “Ferrari.”
It was enough to watch the twenty fans ready to line up on the red carpet early in the morning just to see Driver at night. Or the endless queue for access to the press conference. Everything was ready for the film to roar its many horses. However, it turns out that the feature film prefers the cruising speed of a Fiat 500. Safe, reliable. A perfect lesson in road safety. But disappointing with the seats. Nothing to do with the “deadly passion” or “terrible jewel” it describes.
“It is a deeply human story. When you find a dynamic character like him, the more you delve into it, the more universal it becomes. And this year, many of the themes surrounding him, his past and his future, came together,” the director added. But among so many possible paths and risks, the film chooses the most conventional path from beginning to end. Only the driving sequences provide some adrenaline. Maybe the choice will lead to good box office results. But initially the criticism took its toll. Furthermore, from an artistic perspective, it is difficult to justify the film’s abandonment of the true language of its story. It is clear that money rules global distribution. But a sentence like “The Modena football club is the pride of Emilia” pronounced in English loses credibility and borders on the comical.
And Driver stressed the importance of filming in original locations, including Modena, to capture local culture. And Mann spoke of “cultural anthropology” to summarize his approach and research, based on the book “Enzo Ferrari: The Man and The Machine” by Brock Yates. The director shared that his experience in amateur racing taught him something when filming: “The focus is very much on one object. The rest disappears.” Driver emphasized that the drivers, their mentality, their instincts and the courage to risk their lives in every corner are more important to him. The actor only approached cars in fiction: “For insurance reasons, I wasn’t allowed to drive them.” The room was full of laughter. And so he also thanked one of the few stars this year for being there.
Although the actor had recently shown his support for the strike that screenwriters and actors are waging against the major studios and Hollywood platforms, it is precisely the reason that prevents many of his famous colleagues from setting foot in the Mostra: ” I am proud to be here to represent a film that is not part of the Alliance of Film and Television Producers [que reúne a los principales colosos de la industria]. Why can a small distribution company respond to Screen Actors Guild requests, and I mean pre-negotiations, but not Netflix or Amazon? The question has been in the air for months. And the break continues.
Director Luc Besson, in the middle, accompanied by actress Jojo T. Gibbs and actor Caleb Landry Jones at the presentation of “Dogman” in Venice. CLAUDIO ONORATI (EFE)
However, it had been many years since Luc Besson had delivered a film like Dogman. So much so that his arrival was greeted with great applause in the press room, which he shared with the protagonist Caleb Landry Jones. Although such a reception will increase the complaints of those who regret that the Mostra gives space in the competition and a speaker to a man previously accused of sexual violence. The French judiciary refused three times to open a case into alleged rape because of a lack of evidence. But several other testimonies against the director were collected on the website Mediapart.
In any case, no one asked him about it. And the conversation focused on Dogman, starting with his origins. “I have written every morning, starting at five, since I was 16 years old. When I read an article about a boy locked in a cage by his parents, I began to wonder. What will you do? “In a terrorist, Mother Teresa?” shared the filmmaker. Douglas, his protagonist, suffers the same way. But behind bars he discovers another affection: that of dogs. Besson adds violence, love, Shakespeare and drag queens and composes a thriller that is fast-paced but knows how to take breaks; This is sometimes disturbing and sometimes moving. Leadership Merit. From the script. And the interpretations. Landry Jones’ talent is slowly becoming known. To be honest, the thing with the dogs was harder to imagine.
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