Final weekend highlights from the 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival
As the 44th edition of the Mill Valley Film Festival draws to a close, its final weekend continues to impress with many in-person premieres and online selections. From the science-fiction epic “Dune” to the heartwarming drama “Belfast,” the big nights keep coming and the following are some highlights from its final days.
THE FRENCH DISPATCH
Writer-director Wes Anderson’s latest is as precious and dense as you might expect from the celebrated filmmaker. Neither animated like “Isle of Dogs” nor lavish like “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The French Dispatch” is different but equally engrossing, wasting no time to set up its love letter to journalism. Following the behind-the-scenes of a fictional publication loosely based on The New Yorker, the meticulous staff of “The French Dispatch” are a unique group of outsiders and the stories they pitch to the celebrated magazine reflect that spirit. Those vignettes make up the bulk of the film and share an all-star cast, which include Bill Murray, Benicio Del Toro, Frances McDormand and Timothee Chalamet.
THE HAND OF GOD
Paolo Sorrentino may have won the foreign language Oscar for “The Great Beauty,” but “The Hand of God” is proof the Italian filmmaker has topped his previous creation. The new film takes place in Naples during the 1980’s and borrows heavily from Sorrentino’s childhood, following a young boy coming of age as life, sports and movies coalesce during a unique moment in time. Raging with the energy of youth and freedom, this crowd-pleasing adventure makes the most of its Italian setting with beautiful vistas constantly on display. But “The Hand of God” is more than just pretty pictures, it’s also a heartbreaking time machine back to a simpler and innocent place.
THE LOST DAUGHTER
Sins of the past are on full display in “The Lost Daughter,” as the life of a vacationing older woman crashes into the freestyle spirit of a younger mother. The meaning of parenthood varies between both parties and that tough and challenging definition is at the heart of this tender and moving film, the feature debut of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. Oscar winner Olivia Colman anchors the film and continues to prove there’s very little she can’t do, while the supporting cast of Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley and Peter Sarsgaard also energize the film.
PARALLEL MOTHERS
The latest from Pedro Almodovar, “Parallel Mothers” also centers on motherhood but in a very different way. Penelope Cruz and newcomer Milena Smit star as single pregnant women who happen to give birth on the same day, at the same hospital. Feeling united by that unique bond, they exchange information and promise to stay in touch to offer moral support when needed. But when a surprise revelation changes their dynamic, it will test their loyalty as mothers and close friends. The film is bookended by separate stories of loss and grief, making the central conflict of “Parallel Mothers” resonate even more within its runtime.
SPENCER
Before Princess Diana became one of the most famous faces on the planet she was Diana Spencer, free and untethered to royal life. Weaving truth and fiction into its narrative, “Spencer” finds Diana at a crossroads between succumbing to her in-laws’ traditional ways and forging her own path. As played with surprising subtlety by Kristen Stewart, the answers don’t come easy in this uneasy situation. Director Pablo Larrain previously focused his attention on Jackie Onassis with his film “Jackie,” but he takes a darker approach with “Spencer.” He shoots the story in tight close-ups, giving the narrative a claustrophobic feel, no doubt to emulate the trapped nature of Diana’s dilemma.
The Mill Valley Film Festival runs from October 7-17. Tickets to in-person and online shows can be found at mvff.com
