Dir: Frederic Farrucci | Cast: Alexis Alexis, Mara Taquin | Thriller 87′
Alexis Manenti is the brooding star of this simmering arthouse western from writer director Frederic Farrucci best known for his TV fare.
On the coast of Corsica he plays a goatherd who is offered a decent price for his land. An offer he rejects. Joseph, one of the last shepherds on the Corsican coast, soon realises the mafia is behind the offer. But during their discussions the mafia man who came to intimidate him is accidentally killed and his death will naturally have devastating implications for everyone involved, not least his valuable flock.
The Corsican coast of Cape Santa Manza and forest becomes becomes a feral hunting ground in Farrucci’s arthouse thriller where a merciless hunt plays out in the sweltering heat of the summer. As the days go by, the film unfolds as an ethnographical portrait of a a dying community combined with a tense road movie that builds momentum with its focus on ‘Le Mohican’ Joseph – who embodies a resistance movement no one on the island deemed impossible. HIs feisty female companion Vannina adds a female dimension to this impressive sophomore feature screening in the Horizons Extra strand at the 81st Venice Film Festival. @MeredithTaylor
VENICE FILM FESTIVAL 2024 | HORIZONS EXTRA