La Presse at the 79th Venice Film Festival | Seen in Venice

In addition to being one of the headliners of the film Other people’s childrenby Rebecca Zlotowski, Roschdy Zem came to the Mostra as a filmmaker.

Marc-Andre Lussier
The Press

Ode to family solidarity

Mine

Mine, in the running for the Golden Lion, is the sixth feature film to be directed by the actor, this time bringing to the screen a screenplay he co-wrote with Maïwenn. There is also an obvious community of spirit between the universes of the two screenwriters. In this family chronicle, Roschdy Zem plays a television presenter who will be, in a way, taken to task by all his family circle when one of his brothers (Sami Bouajila), victim of a concussion after falling, completely changes his behavior, now delivering the substance of his thoughts at all times, without any filter.

This ode to family solidarity, punctuated by rather spectacular exchanges, is marked by the overall quality of an impeccable cast, and manages to fulfill the mandate of “comfort film” that it has obviously given itself.

The modern portrait of a saint

Chiara

For filmmaker Susanna Nicchiarelli, Chiara constitutes his second entry into official competition at the Mostra, two years after miss marx. Already winner of the prize for the best film in the section Orrizonti in 2017, thanks to Nico, 1988, the Italian filmmaker offers a portrait of Clare of Assisi, a disciple of Francis. At first, the director’s approach to telling the story of the future saint, born in 1194, is imbued with an austerity a la Therese.

This first impression fades rather quickly, however, as soon as the characters begin to sing songs and follow a well-regulated choreography. The music is first inspired by the musical currents of the time, but we also underline the modernity of the portrait by concluding the story to the sound of a pop song. In her first major film role, Margherita Mazzucco, already seen in the television series The prodigious friendstands out in this story, honoring the place that women have been able to achieve despite everything in the religious world.