My Sixth Film From the Venice Film Festival

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MOVIE REVIEW
World War III (Jang-e jahani sevom)
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Genre: Adventure, War
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 47m
Director(s): Houman Seyyedi
Writer(s): Houman Seyyedi, Arian Vazirdaftari, Azad Jafarian
Cast: Mohsen Tanabandeh, Neda Jebraeili, Mahsa Hejazi, Navid Nosrati
Where To Watch: Premieres 9/7 at the Venice Film Festival

Here we have another Venice Film Festival nominee for the Venice Horizons Award and another incredibly potent addition to an already robust lineup from the festival. This is my sixth film from the Venice Film Festival this year, and it’s another example of cinema that sadly goes under the radar by so many. While some of the films from this festival may get some recognition from the Academy, many will go without getting the recognition they deserve with a broader audience. I know I’m as guilty as any when it comes to watching international films; I will often watch the ones that get nominated but not nearly enough others. I feel like this year will have a far different result with the number of international films I’ve been watching. I would love to see the Academy widen its international category.

While this hasn’t been my favorite thus far in the Festival, it was still an incredible film. A story about a movie, about a story, about a story within a film; it’s almost like Inception within a movie. It was done well, though; I could follow the storyline without feeling overwhelmed or confused. The film's content within the film is a familiar story to most and one that I think was done with care.

My only issue (not even an “issue”) is that I found the title slightly misleading. I had assumed that the film would be about a fictionalized “World War III” instead of what it was. Other than that and a few tonal shifts that I felt were a little misplaced, I enjoyed the entire experience. I thought it was beautifully shot, almost like a dream, because of the atmospheric design. The cinematography was significantly helped by the film's “content” the events that take place within the film's fictionalized film are well known and thus can capture a viewer's imagination.

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