Here are two dozen films that participated in the main competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2023 and their scores on Metacritic (the largest aggregator site that collects reviews of movies, games and series). This is not a top in the usual sense — rather a cross-section that demonstrates the preferences of global film critics rather than individuals.
How we've grouped data:
- all films are placed from top to bottom and left to right, from highest to lowest and in alphabetical order;
- the data is current as of mid-September 2023. As more reviews appear, the scores of movies and, as a result, their placement may change slightly;
- films that do not yet have a Metacritic score are listed in alphabetical order;
- we also recommend that you read the results of Berlin and Cannes film festivals 2023.
Poor Things — 94 points (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
Reward: Golden Lion
Genre: science fiction, romance
What is remarkable: Bella Baxter killed herself because of a troubled marriage, but an eccentric scientist brought her body back to life by transplanting the brain of her unborn child into it.
Green Border — 85 points (dir. Agnieszka Holland)
Reward: Special Jury Prize
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: the troubling story of Middle Eastern and African migrants stranded on the border between Poland and Belarus as a result of big politics.
Priscilla — 84 points (dir. Sofia Coppola)
Reward: Best Actress
Genre: biography, drama
What is remarkable: the story of Elvis Presley, told through his relationship with his wife Priscilla.
The Beast — 83 points (dir. Bertrand Bonello)
Reward: -
Genre: science fiction, thriller, romance
What is remarkable: in the future, when emotions become a problem in the eyes of all mankind, Gabriel tries to get rid of them, but meets her old love.
Io capitano — 83 points (dir. Matteo Garrone)
Reward: Silver Lion
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: the journey of young migrants from Dakar — through the burning desert, the Libyan prison and the stormy sea — to a Europe that promises a decent life.
Evil Does Not Exist — 81 points (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
Reward: Grand Jury Prize
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: They plan to build a camping site near a rural suburb of Tokyo that will destroy the local way of life.
Maestro — 80 points (dir. Bradley Cooper)
Reward: -
Genre: biography, music, romance
What is remarkable: the relationship between composer Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre, full of reverence for music, love and momentary turmoil.
The Promised Land — 74 points (dir. Nikolaj Arcel)
Reward: -
Genre: drama, history
What is remarkable: in the second half of the 18th century, the Danish king sends a loyal knight to conquer new lands where strangers are not liked.
Ferrari — 74 points (dir. Michael Mann)
Reward: -
Genre: drama, biography
What is remarkable: the summer of 1957 finds Enzo Ferrari in a difficult situation: he faces bankruptcy, and the marriage is bursting at the seams due to the death of his son.
El Conde — 73 points (dir. Pablo Larraín)
Reward: Best Screenplay
Genre: fantasy, comedy
What is remarkable: 250-year-old dictator and vampire Augusto Pinochet, exhausted by illness and family squabbles, decides to leave the mortal world.
Origin — 71 points (dir. Ava DuVernay)
Reward: -
Genre: drama, history
What is remarkable: a look at the life of Isabelle Wilkerson, a journalist who was one of the first women to win the Pulitzer Prize.
Memory — 71 points (dir. Michel Franco)
Reward: Best Actor
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: after the graduation meeting, the unremarkable life of a social worker changes dramatically.
The Killer — 71 points (dir. David Fincher)
Reward: -
Genre: thriller, drama, detective
What is remarkable: an assassin, disappointed in his profession, begins to fight with his demons and his former employer.
Adagio — 64 points (dir. Stefano Sollima)
Reward: -
Genre: drama, crime
What is remarkable: a young Manuel crosses the path of a criminal gang, and in order to stay alive, he turns to his father's old friends, former criminals, for help.
Finally Dawn — 58 points (dir. Saverio Costanzo)
Reward: -
Genre: drama, history
What is remarkable: a young Italian woman goes to shoot a Hollywood movie that is being shot in Rome to experience great art.
Enea — 46 points (dir. Pietro Castellitto)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: they mistake the two friends' youth, in which others see only narcotic flair and echoes of the criminal world, for an exciting adventure.
Comandante — 43 points (dir. Edoardo De Angelis)
Reward: -
Genre: drama, war, history
What is remarkable: at the outbreak of World War II, the commander of an Italian submarine takes on board the passengers of an enemy ship he sank.
Dogman — 37 points (dir. Luc Besson)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: The drug lord terrorizes the streets of the city until he is challenged by a strange superhero who controls a pack of bloodthirsty dogs.
Holly — Score unavailable (dir. Fien Troch)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: one day, 15-year-old Holly skips school, when a fire breaks out in the school, killing several students.
Out of Season — Score unavailable (dir. Stéphane Brizé)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: a famous actor and music teacher meet by chance 15 years after the end of their romance.
Woman of... — Score unavailable (dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: against the background of Poland, which is experiencing the fall of communism, a 45-year-old man realizes that he is cramped in his own body.
Lubo — Score unavailable (dir. Giorgio Diritti)
Reward: -
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: in 1939, the nomad and street musician Lubo deserted from the Swiss army to find his young children.
The Theory of Everything — Score unavailable (dir. Timm Kröger)
Reward: -
Genre: detective
What is remarkable: at the 1962 Physicists' Congress in the Swiss Alps, everything goes awry, making even ordinary events look surrealist.
See you at new film festivals!
