The Critic's Week, or Settimana della Critica as the natives say, has always been quite a gamble at the Venice Film Festival. The autonomous parallel section showcases works from generally young filmmakers at the dawn of their careers, which somehow are considered of lesser regard than the movies in the main, official selections. Yet sometimes it may happen that a film excels the expectations, becoming one of the hidden treasures in the whole festival. It is the case with Peacock, the debut feature of Austrian director Bernhard Wenger, which delighted the audiences on the Lido.
The titular "peacock" is Matthias, who spreads his feathers by renting himself as a cultured boyfriend, a perfect son, an exemplary father: anything people may need. By assuming as many identities as engagements he gets, he loses focus on his own character, spiralling into a deep personal crisis after his wife leaves him. It may sound dystopian, but this concept is very much real, with rent-a-friend agencies opening all around the world. The result is a captivating tragicomedy, reminiscent of Ulrich Seidl’s style and perhaps borrowing a bit too much from Ruben Ostlund, both in terms of dry aesthetics and dark comedic timing, exploiting awkward situations on while satirising contemporary societal values. Yet, Wenger manages to develop his own voice throughout the picture, and if Ostlund has a more cynical approach, the Austrian director eventually aims at a redemption for his character, and society. But the road to salvation is a trenchant and surreal path, and hopefully Wenger will stay on it after Peacock’s success, crafting many more surprises in the future of European cinema.
4/5
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