Review of Venice: Shia LaBeouf in “Padre Pio” by Abel Ferrara

Shia LaBeouf plays the title character in this period piece, and her face dominates the promotional material, but the ridiculously prolific Abel Ferrara’s latest film, now in his 70s, is actually more of an ensemble cast with a supporting cast. almost unknown. . . Italy.

Father PioOn stage at the Giornate degli Autori at the Venice Film Festival, more restrained than the usual Ferrara pocket (especially in 2019 Siberia, with his talking fish) and the sober, almost amateurish interpretations – except for an unrecognizable Asia Argento as “The Tall Man” – are more reminiscent of one of James Franco’s more serious literary adaptations. Fiery religious commentary, however, is a gift; Ferrara may say that he is now a Buddhist, but the Catholic Church has provided him with a rich source of material since the publication of the genre in the 1980s.

Photos of the Venice Film Festival 2022

Indeed, Padre Pio himself may be in a completely different film, as he spends most of his scenes in the Capuchin convent where he was sent to serve. He has the demons of him, sure, and LaBeouf definitely brings a sense of lived experience, but the life of the sinner who brought him there is dark. Instead, he has the religious fervor of a recent convert and even seems to display stigmata when real or imagined conversations with Satan haunt his fevered dreams.

Inspired by real events, Padre Pio’s appearance in a remote Italian town known as San Giovanni Rotondo coincides with the end of the First World War, with the men of the community returning partially or not at all from service. They immediately return to work, where they are exploited by the brutal local landowners, leading a group of free-thinking students to try and get the locals to form trade unions and vote for their new socialist party in the next election (historically the first free elections. ). . . took place in Italy).

However, it does not fit the status quo and Padre Pio’s fierce struggle with his faith acts as a form of ambient music, setting a threatening tone for the final showdown when the election results arrive (albeit the sight of a cleric blessing a weapons store is a more visceral clue).

Venice Film Festival: Memorable Moments 1945-1984 Gallery

It is not yet clear what attracted Ferrara to this story or this style, although it would not be unreasonable to give it some sort of biographical distribution in 2014. Pasolini (A year later followed the little seen Doc, shot in the more traditional Ferrara exterior style, the so-called I’m looking for Pio Padre). The formalities of neorealism seem to fit him, although he admits some unexpected and inexplicable nudity towards the end, as well as some very salty dialogue as hostilities start to escalate (“I’ll take that flag. And fuck you, right?”).

It could be called a commentary on Donald Trump’s America, an exploration of a society divided by ideology and an election that the losing side claims was rigged. However, this would be too prosaic for Ferrara, and this is where LaBeouf comes in: his mafia act (“Shut up, say Christ is Lord!” Instructs the heretic). Father Pio Frisson is what he needs and the actor can also be seen replacing Willem Dafoe as the intellectually intrepid director for the all-or-nothing compromise.