‘Blonde’: Ana de Armas receives a 14-minute standing ovation in Venice for her role as Marilyn Monroe

‘Blonde’ is one of the films that raised the most expectations this year. Its premiere on Netflix will take place on September 28, but first it will be screened in theaters on a limited basis, starting on venice partywhere is it the controversial Marilyn Monroe biopic, directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana de Armas, celebrated its world premiere.

The film gave a lot to say about its tumultuous production: rumors of disagreements between the director and Netflix about its highly explicit nature and sexual assault content (which forced it to delay release), its age group (NC -17, the highest of the MPA) and the reactions to the curious choice of a Cuban actress to interpret the myth of American cinema (with the approval of Monroe’s heirs, among other things). Given the emotion it has generated in the last year, there was a lot of anticipation to see the result, and above all to know if De Armas has won the enormous challenge he had to face.

The reception of ‘Blonde’ at the Mostra was decidedly intense, as a reflection of the film itself, and did not leave anyone indifferent, with reactions of all kinds that will surely reproduce once the general public can see it. As for De Armas, the ‘Daggers in the Back’ actress not only came out victorious, but also he completely won the crowd at the premiere, which gave him an incredible 14-minute standing ovation, according to Variety (Deadline, on the other hand, says there were 11, but in any case it was the longest of this edition of the contest). During the prolonged applause, De Armas could be seen crying, completely overcome with emotion.

Ana de Armas reacts to the standing ovation of 11 minutes a #VeniceFilmFestival for #Blonde pic.twitter.com/2Y4Du3vjVj

? Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) September 8, 2022

In addition to the protagonist, the premiere of “Blonde” was attended by the director, Adrien Brody and Julianne Nicholson, who have roles in the film, the producer Dede Gardner and Brad Pitt, who is also among the producers of the film and has a surprise appearance on the red carpetafter not attending the press conference that same morning.

From the press conference, De Armas was very excited as Adrien Brody dedicated a few words to his dazzling work in the film. In the video, shared on social networks, The 34-year-old actress can be seen shedding a tear after trying to contain her emotion to no avail.. It is clear that this project means a lot to her and to her career, and if her reaction to Venice is any indication, it seems to be her definitive consecration as a new Hollywood star.

Ana Dearmas gets excited and cries for adrien brody talking about how she played Marilyn Monroe is the sweetest thing everpic.twitter.com/zAzHcPaVn1

? mary hotd era (@ 4NAMORENO) September 8, 2022

What does the critic say?

At the time of writing, “Blonde” has an encouraging 86% positive reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator, a good starting point for Dominik’s film. Sure, the film sparked pretty visceral reactions, for better or for worse. “It swallows you like a disturbing dream”says Robbie Collin in his four-star review for The Daily Telegraph; while The Hollywood Reporter He compares it to a snuff movie and believes the director’s excesses drown the film. Empire’s Catherine Bray thinks the movie doesn’t always work, but she highlights it “spectacular visual fireworks”. Jack King gives a good rating on The Playlist (B), but warns of a brutal and very uncomfortable experience: “It’s vulgar, creepy and relentless. It’s utterly hopeless. It’s as shocking as any slasher, as terrifying as any real war movie.”.

Of course, De Armas receives a barrage of praise that underlines his committed and heartbreaking performance, despite some specialists feeling the film falls short of his standards. Lex Briscuso of / Film says so “Ana de Armas’ powerful performance does her best to save an ambitious disaster”and Evening Standard’s Jo-Ann Titmarsh says the actress “captures Monroe’s sensuality and vulnerability, but has little opportunity to evoke her wit and humor”. Despite the disagreements, most critics agree that “Blonde” is a tremendously uncomfortable and courageous experience in which its protagonist shines above all.

“Blonde” will debut on Netflix on September 28.