Never been to Venice, and itching to breathe in some of the fest’s buzz? As the 77^th Venice Film Festival will soon be upon us, we’re bringing you some of the best entries of the past few years for you to watch on our pages, and conjure the Lido’s magic from the comforts of home.

Below you’ll find a few of our favourite Venice charmers, films that won our hearts and left a mark in the festival’s history. Enjoy your festival on Cineuropa, and let us know your winners!

These titles are brought to you in partnership with eyelet (read the news), a streaming platform designed to give cinephiles around the world access to the very best in independent cinema. In conjunction with eyelet, we are now able to showcase films we’ve been reviewing over the years - titles you can stream and read about on Cineuropa. Stay tuned for the new movies coming your way soon!

Under the Tree [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson
fiche film]

A spat between neighbours in a stretch of Icelandic suburbia spirals out of control in Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson’s rollicking Under the Tree, a crossbreed between family drama and black comedy that will keep you concurrently laughing and squirming all through its breezy 89 minutes.

Atlantis [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Valentyn Vasyanovych
fiche film]

A haunting foray into a shell-shocked, war-ravaged Ukraine, Valentyn Vasyanovych’s Atlantis fast-forwards to 2025, when the country has just emerged victorious (and shattered) from a war with Russia. In a wasteland of minefields and derelict buildings, is there any space for love? Against all odds, Vasyanovych’s film ends with a resounding yes.

A Woman’s Life [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
Q&A : Stéphane Brizé
fiche film]

Stéphane Brizé turns Guy de Maupassant’s 1883 novel into a gorgeous period drama that thrives on Judith Chemla’s lead turn as Jeanne, a noblewoman’s struggling to break free from the restrictive moral codes of marriage and family. A bittersweet testament to the most joyous and devastating moments in life.

Alps [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film]

Grieving over the loss of a loved one? In this surreal drama by Yorgos Lanthimos, people set up a business impersonating the recently deceased to help customers process their passing. Puzzling and thought-provoking, here’s a film that will make you question everything you hold as normal in human interactions.

The Road

John Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s haunting dystopia drops us into a post-apocalyptic world, where an ailing father struggles to protect his son on their slow journey to the sea. An indelible watch - and read.

The Queen [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Andy Harries
interview : Stephen Frears
fiche film]

Helen Mirren nabbed a Best Actress Oscar for her riveting turn as Queen Elizabeth II, whom Stephen Frears’s sumptuous biopic follows in her struggle to process the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death. A piercing and irreverent look at the British royal family.

I Vitelloni

In a filmography stashed with films cribbing from childhood memories and dreams, few Fellini films feel as rambunctious and exhilarating as this look at five overgrown adolescents idling about and frittering their best years in a seaside town in the North of Italy. Almost seventy years on, the beauty and energy of I Vitelloni burst intact.

Fireworks

It was only after Fireworks nabbed a Golden Lion in Venice that writer-director-star Takeshi Kitano began to be regarded as a serious auteur back in his native Japan. This ferocious and harrowing tale of a cop who leaves the police over personal difficulties might well be Kitano’s most fulminating work to date. An unmissable and most deserved Golden Lion.

Prevenge [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film]

Widow Ruth is seven months pregnant when her unborn child sends her on a killing spree to avenge her husband’s death. As a metaphor for antenatal depression, Prevenge seesaws between violence and humour, concocting its own distinct blend of pathos, horror, and laughter.

The Road to Mandalay [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
interview : Midi Z
fiche film]

A Burmese refugee flees her native turf to start a new life in Thailand in this heart-rending story of migration and hope, at once intimately synched with its locale and universal in scope. A heart-shaking and necessary watch.